New salmon lice treatments are improving welfare outcomes for farmed Atlantic salmon, reducing the stress and injury caused by traditional delousing methods.
The welfare implications of salmon lice extend beyond the parasites themselves. Traditional treatments — chemical baths, crowding fish before treatment, handling stress — compound the harm. Advances in laser, thermal, and biological control methods offer meaningful improvements, but each brings its own welfare trade-offs. Cleaner fish welfare must be considered alongside salmon welfare. Minimising handling, crowding, and chemical exposure while maintaining effective lice control is the emerging standard for responsible aquaculture.