Sea Lice Are Not Very Nice

The stocking densities of fish on marine salmon 'farms', makes their residents very prone to infestation by sea lice. Sea lice are crustacean ectoparasites, that puncture the host's skin before eating away its tissues. Infestations can arise from wild fish populations but conditions in the salmon 'farms' suit the parasite very well. They lead to a population explosion of sea lice and transmission of this parasite to many of the resident fish. Animal welfare folk have recently obtained drone footage of an Icelandic salmon farm, revealing severely diseased, dead and dying fish (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/nov/03/sea-lice-outbreak-icelandic-salmon-farm-welfare-disaster-footage-shows). Although chemical treatments for sea lice infestations exist, it's not at all easy to erdicate this parasite. There's even an increased probablity of spreading these organisms to wild fish populations. It's reported that the Icelandic fish are being 'culled' to be converted into animal feed. Pigs and cattle, unlike humans, won't turn their noses up at feed made from severely damaged fish. This outbreak is being reported as an 'animal welfare disaster' but it's suspected that sea lice outbreaks in salmon 'farms' are actually not uncommon.