DFO ANNOUNCES 2005 SEA LICE RESEARCH PLAN IN THE BROUGHTON ARCHIPELAGO

News Release

VANCOUVER - Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) today announced its 2005 sea lice plan for juvenile pink and chum salmon in the Broughton Archipelago area. Research and monitoring is scheduled to begin late March 2005 in Broughton Archipelago and the Knight Inlet waters, using similar techniques to past years. In addition, researchers will work closely with industry to determine the seasonal distribution of lice on salmon farms and on wild fish in proximal waters. Samples will be gathered for 10 days per month from late March through late July using both beach and purse seine fishing methods. In addition, industry, Provincial and DFO staff will be assessing lice numbers on salmon farms and on wild fish in coastal waters that include the Broughton Archipelago, and near-by waters. Escapement monitoring of adults to key streams and rivers is planned for the fall 2005. Controlled experiments in laboratory studies of sea lice infections and impacts on juvenile pink and chum salmon are also proposed. This is expected to substantially aid DFO's interpretation of infections observed in the natural environment. The planned research will provide information on the distribution and timing of juvenile pink and chum salmon in Broughton Archipelago/Knight Inlet waters, as well as providing data on variation in infection rates by season and year. Information on fish health with emphasis on both sea lice and on bacterial and viral infections will again be collected. Work in 2005 will coincide with similar research on salmon farms, which will allow a stronger analysis of the relationship between salmon farm infections and those on wild juvenile salmon. Pacific Region has carried out research and monitoring of juvenile pink and chum salmon in the Broughton Archipelago under the Pink Salmon Action Plan since 2003. Research included an assessment of the distribution of juvenile pink and chum, and their lice loads in Broughton/Knight Inlet waters. Research in 2004 was similar to 2003's, although 2004 sampling continued later ¿ mid-summer - in an attempt to better understand the impact of pre-and-adult-stage lice on juvenile pink and chum salmon. In the 2004 study, about 17,500 pink and 12,500 chum juveniles were sampled, and about 2,500 and 4,500 were analyzed in the laboratory for sea lice. Final results for the 2004 sea lice study will be available by mid-April, 2005. - 30 - Contact: Diane Lake Communications Branch Fisheries and Oceans Canada (604) 666-0939

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2016-12-15

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DFO ANNOUNCES 2005 SEA LICE RESEARCH PLAN IN THE BROUGHTON ARCHIPELAGO

News Release

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