Assessing the interactions and effects of sea lice on wild salmon populations: final report of project FW0050

Conclusion

A 10 year project on the interactions between farmed and wild salmon was conducted by the MD. The project has led to standardisation of principles of sea lice modelling, curation of an international dataset for model testing and progress on methodologies for model validation. An increased understanding of sea lice dispersal in the marine environment has been developed and oceanographic modelling has been greatly improved for the Scottish west coast and northern isles. Associated long-term monitoring has quantified an effect of sea lice in the environment on growth rates of sea trout.

There is now increased understanding of the epidemiology of sea lice in Scotland and their impacts on salmon. Through tracking studies, our knowledge of salmon migration and coastal behaviour has increased and, coupled with increasingly sophisticated dispersal models, will inform the further development of a sustainable Scottish aquaculture industry.

Outputs of this project have made a significant contribution to develop Scotland’s policy and regulatory framework to consider and manage the risk that sea lice from fish farms negatively impact upon wild populations, leading to the development of, and contributing to, delivery of SEPA’s new sea lice risk assessment regulatory framework, with further development on future monitoring and research needs underway.