Sea lice medicines have no effect on ecology of waters

£1.2million research project supports sustainability credentials

Scotland’s salmon farmers are today claiming a major leap towards proving their sustainability credentials with the news that the effects of sea lice medicines on the environment are undetectable.

“An important and decisive piece of the sea lice management jigsaw puzzle has fallen into place today,” commented Scottish Quality Salmon scientific advisor Dr John Webster. “News that a robust research programme has shown that sea lice medicines have no discernible effect on the environment is very welcome indeed.”

The report, published today by the Scottish Association for Marine Science, follows five years of research at working salmon farms off the west coast of Scotland. Noting that “there has been public concern that the use of authorised sea lice treatments in salmon farming may have an adverse impact on the aquatic environment,” the report concludes that “there are no indications that the treatments used had an effect on the ecology of the waters around the farms monitored.”

“With the news that any ecological impact is too small to notice, the sustainability credentials of Scotland’s salmon farmers are further enhanced,” added Dr Webster. “There have been a number of breakthroughs in managing sea lice at salmon farms across Scotland in recent years, with Scottish Quality Salmon member companies reporting a reduction in numbers of sea lice. And if a sea lice problem does arise on a farm, we have medicines that are not harmful to the environment.

“Given the right regulatory approach and sensible approval of treatment programmes, there is no reason why the health of both farmed and wild salmon and trout cannot be improved further across the whole of Scotland,” Dr Webster concluded.

Notes:

1. Scottish Quality Salmon is dedicated to improving the quality and sustainability of salmon farming in Scotland – from feed companies through to salmon smokers and processors – the whole production chain. Membership now represents 65% of the tonnage produced by the Scottish salmon farming industry.

2. Veterinary Medicines Directorate, Defra and the Scottish Executive, together with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) have provided funds to a five-year investigation of the environmental effects of sea lice treatments in salmon farming in Scottish sea lochs. The project was also supported through in kind contributions from Scottish Quality Salmon (SQS). The work is now ready for publication and will be launched at a public meeting in the Dunstaffnage Laboratory of the Scottish Association for Marine Sciences near Oban at 2pm on 11 April 2005.

3. Sea lice are very well managed in Scotland. This is largely thanks to:
§ The National Treatment Strategy, which Scottish Quality Salmon pioneered in 1998 and is a mandatory code of practice for all members
§ A national Integrated Sea Lice Management treatment strategy, adopted across the industry and reflecting best practice. This includes:
- Use of fallowing, so that many sites are out of production at any one time
- The farming of single year classes of fish
- Co-ordinated strategic use of veterinary medicines, prescribed by a vet and administered under veterinary supervision
§ Area Management Agreements, which now cover most of the west coast of Scotland and in which fish farmers, wild fish interests and the Scottish Executive Environment & Rural Affairs Department work together to maintain and promote the health of both farmed and wild salmon and trout.

END

For further information contact either:
Julie Edgar, Communications Director, Scottish Quality Salmon, +44 (0)1738 587000 or 0789 9875151
Ken Hughes, Communications Executive, Scottish Quality Salmon, +44 (0)1738 587000 or 07974 173739

back to media releases and website news