Wrasse (Labridae) as cleaner fish in salmonid aquaculture – The Hardangerfjord as a case study

Efficient sea-lice control remains one of the most important challenges for the salmon farming industry. The use of wrasse (Labridae) as cleaner fish offers an alternative to medicines for sea-lice control, but wrasse tend to become inactive in winter. Lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) continue to feed on sea-lice at low temperatures, and commercial production has escalated from thousands of fish in 2010 to well over 30 million juveniles deployed in 2016. However, production still relies on the capture of wild broodstock, which may not be sustainable. To meet global industry needs, lumpfish production needs to increase to reach c. 50 million fish annually and this can only come from aquaculture. We review current production methods and the use of lumpfish in sea cages and identify some of the main challenges and bottlenecks facing lumpfish intensification. Our gap analysis indicates that the areas in most need of research include better control of maturation for year-round production; formulation of appropriate diets; artificial selection of elite lines with desirable traits; and development of vaccines for certified, disease-free juvenile production. The welfare of farmed lumpfish also needs to be better quantified, and more information is needed on optimal densities and tank design. Finally, the risk of farmed lumpfish escaping from net pens needs to be critically assessed, and we argue that it might be beneficial to recover cleaner fish from salmon cages after the production cycle, perhaps using them as broodstock, for export to the Asian food markets or for the production of animal feeds.

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“…; Skiftesvik et al . ), particularly at lower water temperatures, and antagonistic feeding behaviour may increase as lumpfish size increases.…”

Section: Welfare and Deployment Of Lumpfish In Sea Cagesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…; Skiftesvik et al . ). However, wrasse exhibit winter dormancy and do not feed below 6°C (Kelly et al .…”

Section: Introduction: Lumpfish a ‘Green’ Alternative For Sea‐lice Cmentioning

confidence: 97%

Use of lumpfish for sea‐lice control in salmon farming: challenges and opportunities

Powell

Treasurer²,

Pooley

et al. 2017

Reviews in Aquaculture

203

248

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“…In addition, the use of cleaner fish faces issues associated with their culture and capture fisheries (Skiftesvik et al . ), and welfare concerns. For example, over 10 million wild wrasse are extracted from the Norwegian coast each year with unassessed ecological consequences.…”

Section: Drawbacks Of the Current Toolsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behaviour in the toolbox to outsmart parasites and improve fish welfare in aquaculture

Bui

Oppedal

Sievers

et al. 2017

Reviews in Aquaculture

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Host behaviour can prevent infection and moderate the fitness of parasites. Antiparasite behaviours are prevalent in many host–parasite systems and occur over fine or broad scales. With global growth in aquaculture production and the associated proliferation of parasites in farming systems, the behaviour of the fish being farmed has seldom been investigated in relation to parasites. Epidemics and outbreaks of parasites are prevalent in most aquaculture systems, and behaviour could be harnessed in concert with current methods to prevent and control parasites and pathogens. However, this requires a systematic understanding of the behaviours of hosts, their capacity for resistance and their interaction with the environment and the parasite. Herein, we present evidence for how behaviour could be used in aquaculture, and discuss the possibility for behaviour to be used in aquaculture as (i) an indicator of welfare status, (ii) a tool in prevention or control and (iii) to maintain or improve welfare. We apply this framework to a case study of a highly problematic parasite, the salmon louse (Lepeophtheirus salmonis), on farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). We present the current state of the system, and the drawbacks of current control or prevention methods. We synergise current knowledge on host behaviours and show how behaviour could be incorporated into current and new approaches for prevention and control. Through this first evaluation of the possibilities behaviour presents in disease management, we aim to facilitate a shift in the current disease control paradigm from reactive‐based post‐infection control to pre‐infection prevention approaches.

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“…It has attracted considerable attention due to three main reasons: (i) it is a target for commercial [22] and recreational fisheries [24], (ii) it is currently used as a cleaner species in northern Europe salmonid fish farms as an alternative to chemical treatments [25,26], and (iii) its phenotypic plasticity and life-history variation have raised questions about its taxonomic status and the possibility that one or more cryptic species could exist.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Historical gene flow constraints in a northeastern Atlantic fish: phylogeography of the ballan wrasseLabrus bergyltaacross its distribution range

et al. 2017

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The distribution and demographic patterns of marine organisms in the north Atlantic were largely shaped by climatic changes during the Pleistocene, when recurrent glacial maxima forced them to move south or to survive in northern peri-glacial refugia. These patterns were also influenced by biological and ecological factors intrinsic to each species, namely their dispersion ability. The ballan wrasse (Labrus bergylta), the largest labrid fish along Europe's continental margins, is a target for fisheries and aquaculture industry. The phylogeographic pattern, population structure, potential glacial refugia and recolonization routes for this species were assessed across its full distribution range, using mitochondrial and nuclear markers. The existence of a marked population structure can reflect both recolonization from three distinct glacial refugia and current and past oceanographic circulation patterns. Although isolated in present times, shared haplotypes between continental and Azores populations and historical exchange of migrants in both directions point to a common origin of L. bergylta. This situation is likely to be maintained and/or accentuated by current circulation patterns in the north Atlantic, and may lead to incipient speciation in the already distinct Azorean population. Future monitoring of this species is crucial to evaluate how this species is coping with current environmental changes.

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Wrasse (Labridae) as cleaner fish in salmonid aquaculture – The Hardangerfjord as a case study

Cited by 81 publications

References 15 publications

Use of lumpfish for sea‐lice control in salmon farming: challenges and opportunities

Use of lumpfish for sea‐lice control in salmon farming: challenges and opportunities

Behaviour in the toolbox to outsmart parasites and improve fish welfare in aquaculture

Historical gene flow constraints in a northeastern Atlantic fish: phylogeography of the ballan wrasseLabrus bergyltaacross its distribution range

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