Sensory biology and behaviour studies

Results to date demonstrate the utility of the sensory ecology approach. Our longer-term goal is to generate sufficient information to establish a basis for disruption of the louse life cycle by interfering with their ability to locate a host, possibly through the use of a field-deployable trap. The salmon louse (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) is an ectoparasitic copepod that infests both wild and farmed salmonid fishes (mainly of the generi Salmo, Salvelinus and Oncorhynchus). Salmon lice are the major disease problem in farming of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), and the possibility of salmon lice playing a role in the decline of wild anadromous stocks has also been raised. Since the late 1970’s, most research on sea- and salmon lice has focussed on chemical delousing in commercial farming rather than on basic biology.

Results This research investigated the sensory cues (visual and olfactory) associated with host location in the salmon louse, at short spatial and temporal scales. Results to date demonstrate the utility of the sensory ecology approach. Our longer-term goal is to generate sufficient information to establish a basis for disruption of the louse life cycle by interfering with their ability to locate a host, possibly through the use of a fielddeployable trap. The next steps in this process will be taken under funding from a new NFR project to continue with this line of research. The long-term goal of this work is to generate sufficient information to establish a basis for disruption of the louse life cycle by interfering with their ability to locate a host, possibly through the use of a field-deployable trap. The results of this project represent a significant step forwards towards that goal. Read more: http://www.forskningsradet.no/servlet/Satellite?blobcol=urldata&blobheader=application%2Fpdf&blobkey=id&blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobwhere=1165369578282&ssbinary=true