R-12-13 The role of wild and farmed fish in modulating the infectious pressure of the sea louse

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

November 8, 2018

Ian Bricknell
Aquaculture Research Institute
University of Maine

Parasitic copepods known as sea lice are the major cause of financial loss to the Atlantic salmon aquaculture industry. Salmon farmers in the USA have worked with resource agencies for over a decade to implement integrated pest management plans that include routine monitoring of farmed fish, chemical and non-chemical treatments, hydrogen peroxide, and coordinated stocking of defined bay management areas with a three-year production cycle to permit a fallowing period between crops. The overall aim of this proposal is to establish and model where and when sea lice, whether shed from wild or farmed fish, infect migrating or farmed salmon in a nearshore ecosystem; and identify potential wild reservoirs of sea lice. The results will provide information on the infectious pressure of sea lice in the coastal zone, the role of wild fish as hosts for sea lice, and lice infection dynamics over a production cycle, in order to evaluate and refine the success of the industry’s collaborative management efforts; and provide a scientific framework to inform marine resource managers and users of the actual sea lice risk of salmon farms to wild fish populations, if any, and vice versa.

Two-year project 2012-2014
National Sea Grant National Strategic Initiative funds $461,438