Declining wild salmon populations in relation to parasites from farm salmon

Declining wild salmon populations in relation to parasites from farm salmon, a study conducted by a team of biologists, fisheries scientists, and mathematicians from Dalhousie University and the University of Alberta and published in the December 14, 2007, edition of peer-reviewed Science magazine, investigates the impacts of sea lice from fish farms on wild salmon abundance. The results, from empirical data analysis and mathematical modelling, show that recurrent sea-lice outbreaks cause 33 per cent to over 99 per cent annual mortality of pink salmon on the central British Columbia coast. Under current conditions, the population is expected to decline to regional extinction, with 99 per cent loss predicted in the next four salmon generations (eight years).

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To read the full report, go to www.sciencemag.org
For more information on sea lice, please visit www.davidsuzuki.org/Oceans/Aquaculture/Salmon/Sea_Lice.asp