DFO investigates sea lice infestations at Clayoquot Sound fish farms
Megan Thomas | CBC News | Posted: May 9, 2018 12:00 PM | Last Updated: May 9, 2018
Federal regulator says it's determining if there has been non-compliance with licence conditions
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) says it is investigating the management of sea lice at Cermaq Canada farms in Clayoquot Sound to determine if there has been non-compliance with the licence conditions.
Half of the company's 14 salmon farms in the region on the west coast of Vancouver Island have reported sea lice levels at or above the threshold that requires treatment.
Under Pacific Aquaculture Regulations, fish farms must monitor and manage the parasite — which can be deadly to farmed and wild fish.
Companies must submit a lice reduction plan if monitoring shows levels higher than three motile sea lice per farmed fish during the wild salmon outmigration period from March 1 to June 30, DFO said in a statement.
Sea lice are considered motile if they are at a free-moving stage of their lifecycle.
Fish removed, treated
Cermaq Canada says it's taking steps to reduce the sea lice at affected fish farms.
"We have removed significant numbers of fish from several farms and continue to remove additional fish and treat remaining farms as quickly as possible," said David Kiemele, the managing director of Cermaq Canada, by email.
Sea lice at the fish farms in Clayoquot Sound are usually below the level that requires treatment and the company will be taking more preventative steps in the future, he said.
That includes the addition of a $12-million lice management barge in early 2019, the company said.
Known as a hydrolicer, the equipment uses warm water to remove sea lice from salmon that are moved through the barge.
Potential risk to wild salmon
The conservation group Clayoquot Action closely monitors the publicly available reports on sea lice at fish farms in the region.
"We've never seen an infestation like this," said Bonny Glambeck, with Clayoquot Action.
"We think it is really important that the provincial and federal governments take a close look at this."
High levels of the parasite are particularly concerning because vulnerable wild salmons smolt are leaving rivers and entering the ocean at this time of year, she said.
"This will be devastating for this year's salmon runs."