Aquaculture

Farmed Salmon and Sea Lice

Sea lice infestations are one of the most serious welfare problems in farmed Atlantic salmon, causing pain, injury, and death.

Key Facts

Sea lice are parasitic copepods that feed on salmon skin and mucus
Heavy infestations cause open wounds, fin erosion, and secondary infections
A single salmon farm can harbor billions of sea lice
Treatments include bath chemicals, laser systems, and cleaner fish
Sea lice from farms can spread to wild salmon populations nearby

Welfare Considerations

Sea lice represent a chronic welfare crisis in salmon aquaculture. The scale of infestation and painful nature of tissue damage constitute serious suffering for millions of fish annually. Cleaner fish used to control lice, such as wrasse and lumpfish, also have significant welfare needs that are often neglected.

What You Can Do

Choose salmon with credible third-party aquaculture welfare certification
Support research into effective non-chemical sea lice controls
Reduce salmon consumption to lower demand pressure on aquaculture
Advocate for sea lice thresholds and welfare standards in legislation
Support transition to land-based closed-containment salmon farming