Modeling salmon lice effects on sea trout population dynamics using an individual-based approach

The aims of this study were to compare male and female sea trout (Salmo trutta) with respect to their hypo-osmoregulatory ability over a simulated migration to seawater and their clinical and physiological response to salmon louse (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) infection in seawater and over a simulated pre-mature return to freshwater. For this purpose, 2-year-old hatchery-reared male and female brown trout (F1 offspring of wild caught anadromous fish) were infected with salmon lice and measured for changes in plasma ions, glucose, lactate and osmolality and relative heart, liver and gonad sizes during a simulated seawater migration and thereafter a premature return to freshwater after 4weeks in seawater (pre-adult louse). Un-infected trout served as control. Male trout used longer time to develop full hypo-osmoregulatory ability in seawater and showed a stronger response in plasma glucose and lactate following simulated premature return to freshwater, compared to female trout. Response to salmon louse was stronger in female trout, shown by stronger osmotic stress by chalimus (plasma Cl-) and pre-adult louse (plasma osmolality) and elevated relative liver size (hepatosomatic index) by pre-adult louse in female compared to male trout. Moreover, high plasma cortisol in infected female and low plasma cortisol in infected male trout produced a significant treatment-sex interaction on plasma cortisol. Lice infection intensity was initially higher in male (0.18 lice g-1) compared to female trout (0.11 lice g-1) at the chalimus stage, but equal between sexes at the pre-adult stage (male 0.15 and female 0.17 lice g-1). This study showed that female trout were better adapted for changes in water salinity, while male trout were more robust against salmon louse infection. These results suggests that the elevated salmon louse infection pressure generated by salmon farming have strong and unexplored negative effects on wild sea trout populations. Further research on this topic is vital for the conservation of wild sea trout populations.

Adult sea trout individuals caught during their spawning migration in the Nemunas, Jūra, Vilnia and Žeimena rivers were analysed. The level of genetic variation was assessed in the samples by means of the mitochondrial DNA ND1 segment RFLP analysis. Five composite haplotypes were observed in the sea trout populations of the Nemunas basin with significant levels of interpopulation diversity allowing determination of separate management units. The genetic structure of the Vilnia sea trout population preliminary demonstrated the influence of the artificial stocking of farmed sea trout into this river. The total genetic variation in the sea trout populations from the Nemunas basin was compared to the existing data from other populations within the Baltic Sea drainage. According to the results of mtDNA analysis, populations of sea trout in Lithuanian rivers might be derived from eastern glacial refugia.

Gill Na +–K +-ATPase activity and hypoosmoregulatory ability of seaward migrating smolts of anadromous Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar), sea trout ( Salmo trutta) and Arctic char ( Salvelinus alpinus) in the Hals river, northern Norway

The aim of the study was to determine the sperm motility parameters in wild Atlantic salmon and sea trout to define criteria important for selection of milt for controlled fertilisation. Parameters for these species were determined in the fish migrating into north-western rivers of Poland at spawning time. Eight motility parameters percentage of motile sperm (MOT), curvilinear velocity (VCL), average path velocity (VAP), straight line velocity (VSL), linearity (LIN), straightness (STR), amplitude of lateral head displacement (ALH), beat cross frequency (BCF) and motility duration were subjected to computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA). Milt of most individuals studied representing both salmon and trout showed spermatozoa density of 12–22 × 109 ml−1 and a high percentage of motile sperm (>70%). In general, spermatozoa swim progressively with slightly curved trajectories (mean STR = 70%, LIN = 65%) and velocity VCL of 180 μm s−1 (salmon) and 190 μm s−1 (trout), at 10 s post-activation. Such sperm is easily accessible in the wild populations of salmon and sea trout and is recommended for use in reproduction trials. The spermatozoa of sea trout seem to show a greater tendency to follow curvilinear trajectories than those of salmon, both in the beginning and the final phase of motion. In the first phase of motility, the values and time dependencies of the motility parameters were similar in both species. In the end phase of movement differences in LIN and BCF time dependencies were found in the samples representing the two species. In salmon the linearity and beat cross frequency remained stable in this phase, contrary to the patterns in sea trout for which LIN decreased while BCF increased in the end period of movement. Durations of movement were similar in both species (ranges of 20–40 s).

Sea trout ( Salmo trutta) is an anadromous form of brown trout, a commercially important salmonid species in Europe. Stocking has been used to compensate for the decrease of natural populations and maintenance of fishery and angling catches. Over 1.5 million smolts and 4.5 million alevins are released to Polish coastal rivers each year. Variation at 7 microsatellite loci ( Ssa197, Ssa171, Ssa85, Str15, Str73, Str591, and Str543) was used to study genetic polymorphism of spawners returning to 6 rivers. Application of distance method for comparison of pairs of populations based on number of different alleles ( F(ST)) revealed significant differences between Vistula and Wieprza, and Parseta as well as between Drweca and Wieprza, and Slupia. The level of heterozygosity was similar between most of the studied sea trout populations; considerable differences were found only for Str591. Differences in frequencies of a few alleles between populations were observed. An exact test of sample differentiation based on allele frequencies confirmed lack of significance of differentiation between the 6 pairs of populations ( F(ST) and R(ST)). No admixture was observed in the studied populations. Possible effects of stocking on the genetic polymorphism of the sea trout populations in wild with implications for biotechnology are discussed.

Several countries have implemented stocking programmes to enhance abundance and fish production by releases of hatchery-reared fish. However, due to fluctuations in population size, stocking history, and potential indirect effects of straying of hatchery-reared fish, it is often difficult to predict how these factors will affect genetic diversity and differentiation patterns among wild populations. This study characterized the population genetic structure and temporal variability of four Estonian sea trout populations by evaluating the degrees of direct and indirect genetic impacts of stocking over two decades using 14 microsatellite loci. Our results demonstrate considerable temporal change combined with weak genetic structuring among studied sea trout populations. We found a reduction of the overall level of genetic differentiation combined with the tendency for increased genetic diversity, and an effective number of breeders (Nb) over the study period. Furthermore, we found that immigration rates (m) from hatchery stocks were highest in the population subjected to direct stocking and in non-stocked populations that were located geographically closer to the stocked rivers. This work suggests that hatchery releases have influenced the genetic diversity and structuring of studied sea trout populations. However, the impact of hatchery releases on the adaptive variation and fitness-related traits in wild trout populations remains to be revealed by more informative genetic markers. This study illustrates the dynamic nature of the population genetic structure of sea trout and the value of long-term genetic monitoring for management and conservation.

Salmon lice are a severe problem in salmonid aquaculture and also affect wild salmon smolts migrating through fjord systems in spring. To keep the lice burden within acceptable limits, frequent use of chemical delousing has resulted in the parasite becoming resistant to these treatments. Alternative thermal and mechanical delousing practices induce welfare problems and loss of farmed fish. To avoid losing the constant arms race with the parasite, we need a new approach to the problem. Inspired by the natural host-parasite balance, we propose a change in salmonid aquaculture practices by combining and improving existing management strategies for a more holistic and sustainable vision of the industry. Before salmonids were farmed in open cages, few hosts were available for salmon lice during winter, which reduced the salmon lice populations to a minimum when the wild smolts were migrating to sea. Thus, the natural strategy is to decrease host availability for a sufficient period of time to allow salmon lice nauplii to die of starvation. Due to the long survival and drift of the nauplii, it is important to significantly increase the distance between open farming units, either by organising and aggregating farms in extensive fallowing areas with significant distance to other corresponding areas or by controlling water flow through active production units during extensive fallowing. Here we primarily address environmental interactions. Economic and juridical implications of the proposed strategy are not discussed in detail. However, we do briefly suggest relevant current regulations and possible costs and benefits of reducing delousing treatment intensity.

In November 2016, infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) was isolated from a broodstock female of landlocked sea trout (Salmo trutta) in Lake Vänern in Sweden. VP2 gene sequencing placed the IPNV isolate in genogroup 6, for which pathogenicity is largely unknown. Lake Vänern hosts landlocked sea trout and salmon populations that are endangered, and thus the introduction of new pathogens poses a major threat. In this study we characterized the novel isolate by conducting an infection trial on three salmonid species present in Lake Vänern, whole genome sequencing of the isolate, and prevalence studies in the wild sea trout and salmon in Lake Vänern. During the infection trial, the pathogenicity of the Swedish isolate was compared to that of a pathogenic genogroup 5 isolate. Dead or moribund fish were collected, pooled, and analyzed by cell culture to identify infected individuals. In the trial, the Swedish isolate was detected in fewer sample pools in all three species compared to the genogroup 5 isolate. In addition, the prevalence studies showed a low prevalence (0.2-0.5%) of the virus in the feral salmonids in Lake Vänern. Together the data suggest that the novel Swedish IPNV genogroup 6 isolate is only mildly pathogenic to salmonids.

For successful evaluation of the overall effects of salmon louse infestation on brown trout population dynamics, it is crucial to have a realistic understanding of how lice infestation distributions are generated and how they should be interpreted. Here, we simulated the potential effects of spatio-temporal variance in lice larvae densities, temporal variance in sea trout marine migration timing and spatial variance in marine habitat use on lice infestation distributions. We show that, when sampling populations with individual variation in marine behaviour, e.g. from post-smolts to veteran migrants, we must expect multi-modal mixture lice infestation distributions. Applying standard statistical distributions, such as the Poisson, negative binomial or zero-inflated distributions, can be too simplistic and give biased results. Temporary increases in salmon lice load in a given area may have inconsistent effects among individuals of a population and may be critical for vulnerable groups such as post-smolts, dependent on timing. For many analyses, it will be necessary to resolve the contributions from groups of fish with different lice infestation expectations due to spatio-temporal differences in habitat use within the overall mixture distribution. Another consequence is that different data sources, obtained by different methods or sampled at different locations and periods, must be expected to give different lice infestation distributions, even when sampling the same population. We also discuss additional factors that may complicate the interpretation of salmon lice infestation distributions on sea trout, such as lice-induced mortality, and behavioural changes, such as premature return to less saline water for delousing.

Ten years of individual-based modelling in ecology: what have we learned and what could we learn in the future?

The increasing number of Atlantic salmon farming locations in Norway has led to a complex dynamic network of sea lice infestation routes modulated by the local currents. Salmon lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis, Krøyer 1837) egg strings normally hatch from the distal end while still attached to the female louse; however, the female can release their egg strings if stressed during crowding and delousing events. Eggs continue developing normally after being detached. This paper presents empirical measurements of sinking velocities of L. salmonis egg strings of different lengths and maturities. Moreover, we evaluated the potential dispersal distance of detached egg strings from salmon net pens by numerical model simulations for different current flow rates to indicate how far released egg strings could disperse from salmon farms. Theoretical transport distance of egg strings varied between 250 m for the fastest sinking velocity of 11 mm/s and the lowest simulated horizontal current velocity of 0.05 m/s and 6.11 km for the lowest sinking velocity of 9 mm/s and the fastest horizontal velocity of 1 m/s. This study is the first to model egg string transport and to consider its role in larval sea lice dispersal and infestation dynamics.

AEI Aquaculture Environment Interactions Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections AEI 1:225-232 (2011) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/aei00022 Densities of planktonic Lepeophtheirus salmonis before and after an Atlantic salmon farm relocation Michael J. Penston*, Alastair J. A. McBeath, Colin P. Millar Marine Scotland Science, Marine Laboratory, PO Box 101, 375 Victoria Road, Aberdeen AB11 9DB, UK *Email: m.penston@marlab.ac.uk ABSTRACT: Relocating Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L. farms away from important salmonid rivers is possibly a means to reduce Lepeophtheirus salmonis (Krøyer, 1837) interactions between farmed Atlantic salmon and wild salmonids. However, to date, no data have been presented on the consequences of salmon farm relocation in terms of densities of planktonic L. salmonis. Near-surface plankton were sampled at 5 stations during 2 full farming production cycles; 1 before and 1 after a salmon farm relocation within a sea loch/fjord. The relocation comprised the removal of a salmon farm and the reallocation of its fish biomass to a different farm within the same management area. Over 85% of the larval sea lice we identified in sub-samples were L. salmonis; we therefore assumed that the majority of the larvae found were of that species. Densities of L. salmonis larvae increased significantly at all stations post relocation, except at the station near the vacated farm site where mean densities of nauplii were significantly lower and mean densities of copepodids were lower without statistical ­significance. The removal/relocation of the salmon farm significantly reduced the production of L. salmonis larvae, but did not significantly reduce the infection pressure, as represented by densities of the infectious copepodid stage, at the vacated farm site. This finding indicates that planktonic L. salmonis were transported to the vacated farm site from sources at a minimum of 5 to 8 km distant. KEY WORDS: Scotland · Sea lice · Relocation · Management · Salmon aquaculture · Sea trout Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Penston MJ, McBeath AJA, Millar CP (2011) Densities of planktonic Lepeophtheirus salmonis before and after an Atlantic salmon farm relocation. Aquacult Environ Interact 1:225-232. https://doi.org/10.3354/aei00022 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in AEI Vol. 1, No. 3. Online publication date: April 15, 2011 Print ISSN: 1869-215X; Online ISSN: 1869-7534 Copyright © 2011 Inter-Research.

Abstract. Infestation parameters for the caligid copepod Lepeophtheirus salmonis (Kroyer) infesting sea trout, Salmo trutta L., were established for a number of locations off the west coast of Ireland during 1990 and 1991. Based on these parameters sites were classified into two groups in 1990 and three in 1991. Median parasitic intensity in these groups was 11·6 and 77 in 1990 and 9·5, 29·5 and 55 in 1991. Fish were parasitized mainly by chalimus stages of the parasite which attached preferentially to the fins. Heaviest infestations were invariably due to chalimus stages and early pre-adult lice and there was a progressive decrease in the correlation between parasitic intensity and the number of each successive stage in the life cycle. This suggested either host or parasite mortality as the parasite matured. Large numbers of lice-infested fish returned prematurely from the sea to estuarine areas at a number of sites. Extensive morphological damage, especially to the fins, was apparent on a proportion of these fish as a result of the infestation. Mortality of heavily infested fish was directly observed.

Decision letter for "Parasite scars: the impact of salmon lice injury on sea trout populations"

The salmon louse (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) is an ectoparasite feeding on mucus, skin, and blood of salmonids. On parasitised fish erosions and, at later lice stages, ulcerations appear at the louse feeding site. In susceptible species like Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) with a limited rejection of lice, only a mild inflammatory response with minor influx of immune cells is seen at these lesions, as the salmon louse secrete proteins that can dampen immune responses. In a previous study, Lepeophtheirus salmonis labial gland protein 3 (LsLGP3) was suggested to dampen cellular responses, and the present study aimed at increasing our understanding of its mode of action. LsLGP3 was found to be secreted on to the host skin, and both in vivo and in vitro experiments were performed to elucidate its function. Histological analysis of the louse attachment site revealed an epidermal and dermal influx of mainly macrophages and granulocytes after 5 days post infestation. The immune cell influx was deeper in the dermis throughout the louse infestation, and LsLGP3 may be involved in dampening this response. Enriched populations of Atlantic salmon B-cells, T-cells, granulocytes, and monocytes were exposed to recombinant LsLGP3 (recLGP3) in vitro, resulting in a significant decrease in cell viability compared to non-exposed controls. An apoptotic cell morphology with “beads-on-a-string” like protrusions was seen in all leukocyte cell fractions after recLGP3 exposure, but not in erythrocytes or keratocytes. A decreased viability was also detected in pink salmon leucocytes, which was not in leucocytes from non-salmonid species. These functional insights suggest that LsLGP3 specifically induces apoptosis of salmonid leukocytes and is likely a key protein secreted by the lice that disables the Atlantic salmon ability to mount an adequate immune response towards the salmon louse. In vivo LsLGP3 knock down studies indicated that the effect is localised primarily at the lice feeding site, without affecting immune cells that are not situated adjacent to the lice-inflicted lesion. The findings from this study could significantly aid in the development of new immune based anti-salmon louse prophylactic measures and treatments.