Maine EPSCoR SEANET Researchers Combat Sea Lice

One major challenge to Maine’s salmon industry is salmon lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis), which are parasites that infest both Atlantic and Pacific salmon. Salmon lice are small creatures, growing to no larger than a dime, but pose a serious threat to the health and longevity of both wild and farm-raised salmon. In Maine, sea lice are estimated to cause an average loss of $50 million a year for the salmon industry. EPSCoR SEANET funded a collaborative research project at the University of Maine’s Aquaculture Research Institute (ARI) to foster foundational biological understanding of lice as well as a plan to establish preventative vaccines.

Most studies examining the effects of temperature on sea lice consider sea lice living in waters at a temperature of around four degrees Celsius. In Maine, however, sea lice must survive winter waters at a temperature of minus two degrees Celsius. At four degrees Celsius, studies have shown that sea lice and their eggs can live up to 12 weeks. Dr. Ian Bricknell and his team hypothesize that this time could double to 24 weeks in colder water. If his research supports this hypothesis, he will have conclusive evidence that Maine’s cold waters are allowing sea lice to survive over the winter in an egg stage until the return of the salmon in the spring, reducing or even eliminating the need for an intermediate host.

In addition to Dr. Bricknell’s work, ARI researchers are working to develop and test a new line of preventative sea lice vaccination for use by salmon farmers. Dr. Debbi Bouchard and her team recently finished infestation testing at the Aquaculture Research Center at the University of Maine. Dr. Bouchard collaborated with other researchers to test different types of vaccines on salmon taken form Maine’s aquaculture industry stock.

For the past eight years, researchers have indicated that sea lice are their number one concern and topic for research. As such, SEANET researchers are dedicated to producing the biological understandings that are foundational for vaccine developers to create effective treatments for industry members to protect their farms and produce the healthiest fish.

Read the full story from Maine EPSCoR here.