Industry, pesticide producer pay for lice study

Dan MacLennan
March 12, 2010
Courier Islander

The aquaculture industry and its provincial regulators say there's no evidence sea lice are becoming resistant to Slice, the pesticide used to control them, but the industry and the makers of Slice are behind a Campbell River study that will look for more evidence.

"It's pretty exciting," said Sonja Saksida, executive director of the Campbell River-based BC Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences (BCCAHS). "To actually be here before you're seeing the problem instead of always reacting to problems. I think we are getting to be internationally known by researchers on sea lice as being a place to do work on sea lice."

Sea lice have grown resistant to Slice in other fish farming areas including Europe, Chile and the east coast of Canada. That's forced a move to the use of other toxic chemical treatments. Last month, biologist Alexandra Morton warned sea lice at Greig Seafood farms in Nootka Sound appeared to have grown resistant to Slice treatments. She said the proof was that sea lice had reappeared too soon after farmed fish were fed Slice. The industry, the provincial Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, and Saksida responded that there was no evidence of Slice resistance. Saksida elaborated last week.

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Read related stories:

• Campbell River Mirror; February 25, 2010; "Local lab to test for sea lice drug-resistance"