Event Title
Presentation Abstract
In 2017, Wild Fish Conservancy documented sea louse (Lepeoptheirus salmonis) infection rates on juvenile chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) in the nearshore waters of Hood Canal, WA. Transmission of sea lice from the adult fish captive in salmon farms to wild outmigrating juvenile salmon has been posited as a primary impact of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) open net pen farming in the Salish Sea. Hood Canal is an isolated fjord that makes up the westernmost arm of Puget Sound. There are no open net pen Atlantic salmon farms in Hood Canal, sampling here should establish rates of sea lice infection on juvenile salmon that are outmigrating from regional rivers in the absence of Atlantic salmon farms. Fish were sampled at over 30 sites throughout the Hood Canal in a range of habitat types. Fish were brought to hand using a fine meshed beach seine and were examined for louse loading using hand lenses. Results of the project will be compared to infection rates that have been documented by other researchers in sites adjacent to open net pen Atlantic salmon farms.
Session Title
The Impacts of Open Net Pen Salmon Farming on Wild Salmon
Keywords
Salmon, Sea lice, Salmon farm impacts
Conference Track
SSE11: Species and Food Webs
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2018 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE11-351
Start Date
4-4-2018 1:30 PM
End Date
4-4-2018 1:45 PM
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Salmon--Parasites--British Columbia--Clayoquot Sound; Salmon fisheries--British Columbia--Clayoquot Sound
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Clayoquot Sound (B.C.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Included in
Fresh Water Studies Commons, Marine Biology Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons
Sea lice infection rates on juvenile chum salmon in a Salish Sea fjord with no Atlantic salmon net pens
In 2017, Wild Fish Conservancy documented sea louse (Lepeoptheirus salmonis) infection rates on juvenile chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) in the nearshore waters of Hood Canal, WA. Transmission of sea lice from the adult fish captive in salmon farms to wild outmigrating juvenile salmon has been posited as a primary impact of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) open net pen farming in the Salish Sea. Hood Canal is an isolated fjord that makes up the westernmost arm of Puget Sound. There are no open net pen Atlantic salmon farms in Hood Canal, sampling here should establish rates of sea lice infection on juvenile salmon that are outmigrating from regional rivers in the absence of Atlantic salmon farms. Fish were sampled at over 30 sites throughout the Hood Canal in a range of habitat types. Fish were brought to hand using a fine meshed beach seine and were examined for louse loading using hand lenses. Results of the project will be compared to infection rates that have been documented by other researchers in sites adjacent to open net pen Atlantic salmon farms.
