Interactions between sea lice (Lepeoptheirus salmonis and Caligus clemensii), juvenile salmon (Oncorhynchus keta and Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) and salmon farms in British Columbia

The issue of sea lice (Lepeoptheirus salmonis and Caligus clemensii) transfer from salmon farms to wild salmon is a controversial topic in British Columbia (BC). A series of sea lice epizootics (four in five years) on juvenile chum (Oncorhynchus keta) and pink (0. gorbuscha) salmon in the Broughton Archipelago (BA), an area with the highest density of salmon farms on the west coast, have caused significant concern among conservationists, local First Nations, and the general public over the possible impacts of salmon farms on wild salmon. Key to the debate has been a lack of data on ambient sea lice infection rates on juvenile salmon in the absence of the influence of salmon farms. This work represents one of the first attempts to empirically examine ambient sea lice infection rates on juvenile salmonids. Objectives were to test hypotheses including: geographic variability is a significant factor in sea lice population dynamics, ambient sea lice infection rates on juvenile salmon are low, juvenile salmon susceptibility to sea lice infection, and the influence of salmon farms on ambient sea lice infection rates. Over a three year period, samples of juvenile chum and pink salmon (n=13.874) were collected using a beach seine net in the central coast of British Columbia (Klemtu/Bella iv Bella), a vast area with limited salmon farming activity. and with geography that allowed for simultaneous assessment in the same region of the natural interaction between sea lice and juvenile salmon and the influence of salmon farms on the interaction. Sampling was also conducted in other areas without salmon farms (Southern Gulf Islands: n=3847) and with salmon farms (Broughton Archipelago; n=3911). The results of the field experiments were also used in conjunction with laboratory experiments to examine the susceptibility of juvenile chum vs. pink salmon to infection by sea lice. The ambient lice infection rates for juvenile chum and pink salmon were up to 32% prevalence, less than one louse per fish and less than two lice per gram (prevalence: 2.0 (1.0) - 32.0 (19.0), mean lice per fish: 0.02 (0.01) - 0.67 (0.22), mean lice per gram: 0.56 (0.08) - 1.93 (0.13)). This result was found to be consistent across geographic areas with no salmon farming activity suggesting that geographic variability was not a significant factor in the natural interaction between sea lice and juvenile salmon. Salmon farms were found to strongly influence the relationship between sea lice and juvenile chum and pink salmon. Sea lice infection rates of juvenile salmon collected near salmon farms were significantly higher than non-salmon farming regions ranging from 3 - 150 times higher in the BA and from 2 - 14 times higher in the Klemtu region. Infection levels near salmon farms were variable in intensity from year to year. The extent to which the sea lice-salmon relationship was affected by salmon farms was dependent on farmed species, farm location, within year variability in fish size, and the scale of salmon farming activities within the region. The results from the laboratory and field studies demonstrate that juvenile chum salmon were more susceptible to infection by sea lice than juvenile pink salmon. However, the exact mechanism for the observed differences was not identified. Possible reasons for the observed differences could be related to genetically determined susceptibility, fish mucous differences, lethal lice infection tolerances. or other factors not examined. The results of this study suggest that the elevated sea lice infection rates observed in the BA and other areas present a significant risk to the health of wild salmon and that salmon farms are the most likely cause based on the biology and ecology of sea lice. In order to better understand the potential for salmon farms to affect wild salmon populations, it is suggested that investigations into farm level sea lice contributions be conducted in the BA and other areas where salmon farms operate. In addition, investigation into the lethal lice infection rates for juvenile salmon at early marine life size should also be conducted.

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