Media Releases & Recent Articles

BC Salmon Farmers Association information on Summer 2004 preliminary sea lice sampling results

Salmon farmers understand the concern about sea lice. We're supportive of the DFO research programme and strongly believe that good information comes from good scientific research. The results released by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans on July 29 today are the preliminary findings of a 16-week marine and freshwater sampling project running from May to August. As DFO has stressed no conclusions can be drawn until more results are available. Click here for the DFO results.

As an industry we have worked with our regulators to address the issue of sea lice. All salmon farms are required to have a Fish Health Management Plan. These plans are a condition of license and are enforceable by law. All companies must provide MAFF with a plan for approval. This plan includes controls for managing lice levels.

The salmon farmers have been working cooperatively with the province to monitor sea lice levels since October 2003. Sea lice levels at approximately 60 marine farm sites including sites in the Broughton Archipelago have been monitored using a standardized method. The marine sites monitor sea lice using a standardized method for enumeration that conforms to the minimum level of monitoring being stipulated by provincial authorities. The results have been posted on the BCMAFF website.

The BC Salmon Farmers are currently working collaboratively with government, industry, First Nations groups, environmental and stewardship groups to ensure there is a healthy co-existence between the wild and farm fish in British Columbia.

BC Salmon Farmers Association members are supporting a joint project "Incorporating the natural cycles of sea lice (L. salmonis) production into a management strategy for sustainable aquaculture" led by Dr. Richard Beamish, at Pacific Biological Station. This project proposes to identify the sources and cycles of natural sea lice production and will relate these natural cycles to the development of sea lice on salmon on net pens.