Washington researchers present findings of Clayoquot sea lice study

Jennifer Dart
January 21, 2010
The Westerly

A group of Washington researchers have found sea lice on juvenile wild salmon samples in Clayoquot Sound and the levels they found were higher in close proximity to salmon farms.

The Wild Fish Conservancy -- a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving, protecting and restoring wild fish and the ecosystems they depend on through science, education and advocacy -- sent a team of three researchers to Clayoquot early last year to begin to identify potential causes for the "collapse" of wild salmon stocks in the area.

"Something in Clayoquot Sound is very broken," lead research Audrey Thompson told a crowd gathered at the Clayoquot Field Station Jan. 14.

As a place where not a lot of research has been done, she said the WFC saw this area as "a good place to fill a data gap."

The team came to answer the question of whether there are sea lice infestations on wild salmon in Clayoquot Sound, and also whether there is a correlation between the presence of infestations and the location of aquaculture farms.

The answer to both questions was yes, Thompson told the crowd during the presentation.

But Thompson stressed their data represents only one year in a complex life cycle in a complex environment. "This is just one piece of the puzzle," Thompson said. "We have to find pieces and put them together before we can make progress."

Clayoquot Sound is an ideal place to study the issue of declining stocks, she said, because of the pristine habitat of its river systems.

"Freshwater habitat is often blamed for salmon declines, but in Clayoquot Sound, freshwater habitat is abundant yet salmon runs are small, and shrinking," Thompson told the Westerly. "Salmon farms are the first non-pristine thing Clayoquot fish encounter, so studying their potential impacts first seemed like a logical place to start."

Read the full story in The Westerley

Read related article in The Westcoaster; January 15, 2010; More sea lice found near high-density salmon farms"