Laser-based sea lice removal systems offer a welfare-improved alternative to chemical bath treatments for Atlantic salmon, reducing both lice burden and treatment stress.
Laser-based lice treatment represents a genuinely welfare-improved approach to sea lice management compared to chemical bath treatments that require acute crowding, net-hauling, and chemical exposure. The stress cascade associated with chemical treatment — from the crowding required for net hauling through the chemical exposure itself to the recovery period — causes measurable welfare compromise lasting days after each treatment event. Laser systems that operate continuously within pens eliminate this repeated acute welfare insult while maintaining more consistent lice control between episodic chemical treatments. The technology continues to improve in precision and effectiveness, and its adoption by welfare-conscious producers demonstrates that production systems can evolve toward less welfare-compromising approaches when alternatives are available.