|
|
Article: Sea Lice from Salmon Farms May Threaten Wild Salmon Populations
- Article from:
- US Fed News Service, Including US State News
- Article date:
- December 14, 2007
CopyrightCopyright © HT Media Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
|
The American Association for the Advancement of Science issued the following news release:
A new article in Science suggests that sea lice outbreaks at salmon farms on Canada's West Coast may cause the local extinction of wild salmon within 10 years.
Because of their crowded conditions, salmon farms are prone to infestations of parasitic crustaceans called Lepeophtheirus salmonis, or salmon lice. These small organisms attach themselves and feed on tissues from salmon and other fish.
While sea lice naturally occur on wild adult salmon, juvenile fish are usually protected against them because infected adult salmon typically live offshore when the juveniles enter the sea.
But as salmon farms ...