Scientists bid to breed lice-resistant salmon
Salmon ova supplier Benchmark Genetics and Norwegian research institute Nofima have launched a two-year project that could lead to selective breeding of Atlantic salmon with improved resistance to sea lice.
The “LuseLess” project builds on insights from the earlier CrispResist project, which identified cellular and genetic mechanisms behind the strong sea lice resistance observed in Pacific salmon species. These species have cellular and genetic mechanisms that either allow them to sustain lower lice attachment success or to reject and kill lice within the first 14 days of infection. One potential application of these results is to use gene editing to develop the genetic resistance trait in Atlantic salmon, which remains a medium- and long-term focus.
LuseLess focuses on developing new lice-resistance phenotypes (observable traits) for selective breeding to enable Atlantic salmon to better respond to sea lice infestations. This will be achieved through improved understanding of variation in cellular immune responses among individual Atlantic salmon, determining whether these responses are heritable, and assessing how they correlate with sea lice levels and other key production traits.
The project will also develop high-throughput biopsy and profiling methods suitable for use in commercial breeding programmes and model the potential genetic gains achievable under different breeding strategies.
The project runs from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2027 and is funded through an Innovation Project in Industry (IPN) grant of NOK 10 million (£736,000) from the Norwegian Research Council.
Benchmark Genetics is contributing significant in-kind resources, including access to samples from sea lice challenge tests in Iceland, large-scale genotyping, and expertise from its global genetics team. Nofima is contributing expertise in immune cell function and profiling at sea lice attachment sites, and in developing high-throughput methods for performing biopsies to implement this in Benchmark Genetics’ salmon breeding programmes.
Better equipped fish
Benchmark Genetics’ salmon genetics lead, Serap Gonen, is the project lead.
“LuseLess represents a shift from managing sea lice to breeding fish that are inherently better equipped to resist them,” said Gonen. “By combining advanced genetics with immune biology, we aim to deliver durable improvements in sea lice resistance that can be implemented at scale.”
Nick Robinson, senior research scientist at Nofima, said the project allows researchers to translate detailed knowledge of immune cell function into practical tools for selective breeding.
“The combination of cutting-edge immunology and industrial breeding expertise makes LuseLess particularly well positioned to deliver real impact for the industry.”
