The prevalence of sea lice on juvenile wild salmon in 2015 was the highest it has been in five years, but the outbreak does not appear to be associated with salmon farming, according to a report from the B.C. Salmon Farmers Association.
Many of the most intense infestations were found in areas that had no active salmon farms or that had never been used for salmon aquaculture, according to data in three technical reports on Broughton Archipelago, Quatsino Sound and Queen Charlotte Strait. Fisheries researchers examined more than 2,600 fish from 52 sites.
A survey of wild salmon harvested from 22 locations in Broughton Archipelago found that 65 per cent of all sea lice counted came from a single location not adjacent to any salmon farm, according to a report commissioned by Marine Harvest.
A second report commissioned by Tlatlasikwala First Nation, Gwa’sala-Nakwaxda’xw First Nation and Marine Harvest found concentrations of sea lice were five times higher in the Goletas Channel — away from active aquaculture sites — than in the Queen Charlotte Strait, adjacent to fish farms.
Randy Shore – Vancouver Sun – February 18, 2016.
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