Sea lice, Lepeophtheirus salmonis and Caligus elongatus, levels on salmon returning to the west coast of Ireland, 2003

Abstract

Mobile lice levels of two species of sea lice, Lepeophtheirus salmonis and Caligus elongatus, were examined on two samples of Atlantic salmon from the west coast of Ireland. The samples examined were taken two weeks apart from salmon caught by drift net in June 2003 at two different locations off the west coast of Ireland, one in the north-west and one in the west. Both samples of salmon caught were comparable in terms of numbers of total lice counted. No significant differences in male, female and ovigerous L. salmonis levels between the two samples were recorded, however, a significant difference was recorded between juvenile L. salmonis levels. Morphometric comparisons of male and ovigerous L. salmonis examined for each of the two salmon samples examined revealed some differences. There was a significant difference in male L. salmonis in terms of cephalothorax length between the samples. In the females significant differences were found between cephalothorax length, overall total length and egg length. Significant positive correlations within samples were also observed, between total female body length and both total egg number and egg string length in one of the samples examined.