Investigating the Impact of Electric Fences on Salmon Lice

Salmon lice pose a significant threat to aquaculture and coastal ecosystems, inflicting substantial economic losses and raising environmental concerns. The project BioSeaLice, funded by FHF (The Norwegian Seafood Research Fund) aims to gather critical biological knowledge that could improve salmon farming practices and enhance sustainability in the aquaculture sector.

Harbor AS has already implemented this technology, with large-scale commercial systems demonstrating promising results in reducing salmon lice infestations:

– We have refined electric fence systems over recent years, but there is still much to understand about how electric fields influence salmon lice and non-target organisms at the biological level. By deepening our biological understanding, we can optimize electric barrier settings for more effective and environmentally responsible use across diverse marine environments.", says Tarald Kleppa, R&D at Harbor AS.

Currently, salmon farmers rely on treatments like chemical and mechanical delousing, which, while effective, often cause stress to the fish and can lead to chemical resistance among lice populations. Electric fence technology, offers a less invasive alternative, creating a barrier to reduce lice infestations with minimal impact on the salmon, and potentially reducing the number of viable early life stages entering the environment from the net pens.

– BioSeaLice aims to support the aquaculture industry’s sustainability goals. Reducing infection rates benefits wild salmonid populations, a critical step for conserving Norway’s natural marine biodiversity. says project leader Helena Hauss, Research Director NORCE Marine Ecology.

Understanding the Biology Behind the Technology
The BioSeaLice project focuses on understanding how electric fields impact early life stages of salmon lice and their ability to survive and infect. It brings an interdisciplinary team of researchers in fish health, genetics, animal behavior, and marine biology. Researchers will examine:

• The mortality rates of lice larvae and how sublethal effects like altered behavior or delayed development influence their ability to infect salmon, and on effects of electric fields on mortality of other non-target planktonic species,
• How variables like water salinity and seasonal conditions may alter the effectiveness of electric barriers.
• Whether sub-lethal exposure to electric fields impacts the infectiousness and developmental success of lice larvae, specifically their ability to attach to and feed on hosts, and whether it alters their immunosuppressive effects on the fish.