Tackling a tiny terror of the sea

Claire O'Connell
December 17, 2009
The Irish Times

A UCD team has had some promising results in the search for a vaccine against sea louse, a parasite that has plagued Irish salmon farms and is threatening wild stocks

THE ANIMAL glowing blue in the picture below right might look pretty, yet its effects are anything but. It’s a sea louse that attaches to salmon and causes damage to skin and scales, along with a general decline in the fish’s health.

The not-so-pretty parasite is a major problem for fish farmers and could potentially spread to wild populations, which is why researchers at University College Dublin are looking for an effective vaccine to help fish fend off the unwelcome hitchhikers.

Read the full story in The Irish Times