AST responds to current images circulating of salmon with heavy sea lice burdens.

The Atlantic Salmon Trust is appalled at recent press reports of salmon, in Loch Roag on the Isle of Lewis, dying as they return from the sea infested with massive burdens of sea lice, along with similar footage of salmon in nearby fish farm cages. The Trust finds these lice levels and the damage they are doing to wild and farmed fish absolutely abhorrent, as it goes against our core aim of protecting wild salmon. In this day and age there can be no excuses if lice levels are allowed to build up to damaging levels.

We believe that Marine Scotland Fish Health Inspectorate and the SSPCA are investigating these reports on the fish farms. The Atlantic Salmon Trust is of the view that these findings must be made public and swiftly acted upon so that lice levels can be controlled and not allowed to harm the vulnerable stocks of wild salmon.

To view the current AST position on Aquaculture please visit https://atlanticsalmontrust.org/aquaculture/

Professor Ken Whelan, AST Research Director, review on the impacts of sea lice, can be viewed by visiting

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266489278_A_Review_of_the_Impacts_of_the_Salmon_Louse_Lepeophtheirus_salmonis_Kroyer_1837_on_Wild_Salmonids

For details on the images please visit https://www.salmon-trout.org/2018/09/03/wild-adult-salmon-run-decimated-by-sea-lice/