title: Impact of Lepeophtheirus salmonis infestations on migrating Atlantic salmon , Salmo salar L., smolts at eight locations in Ireland with an analysis of lice-induced marine mortality.
abstract: Sea lice infestation as a source of marine mortality of outwardly migrating Atlantic salmon smolts has been investigated by treating groups of ranched salmon, prior to release, with a prophylactic sea lice treatment conferring protection from sea lice infestation. A number of studies have been carried out in Ireland using both established ranched populations and groups of hatchery reared fish imprinted for 5-8 weeks in the sites of experimental releases. In this study, data on 352 142 migrating salmon from twenty-eight releases, at eight locations along Ireland's South and West coasts covering a 9-year period (2001 to 2009) are reviewed. Both published and new data are presented including a previously unpublished time series. The results of a meta-analysis of the combined data suggest that while sea lice-induced mortality on outwardly migrating smolts can be significant, it is a minor and irregular component of marine mortality in the stocks studied and is unlikely to be a significant factor influencing conservation status of salmon stocks.
authors.affiliation: Marine Environment and Food Safety Services, Marine Institute, Rinville, Oranmore, Co. Galway, Ireland. dave.jackson@marine.ie
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cotter
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Newell
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: McEvoy
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: O'Donohoe
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kane
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: McDermott
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Drumm
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D025041:Animal Migration; D000818:Animals; D033342:Copepoda / Q000502:physiology*; D004478:Ectoparasitic Infestations / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology*; D007494:Ireland; D020317:Salmo salar / Q000469:parasitology*