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New biocides for controlling crustacea in fish farms

Dr Kenny Black, Head of Ecology at SAMS, is co-author on a recent paper investigating the use of biocides for controlling crustacea in fish farms.

A new generation of biocides for control of crustacea in fish farms

Farming of salmon has become a significant industry in many countries over the past two decades. A
major challenge facing this sector is infestation of the salmon by sea lice. The main way of treating salmon
for such infestations is the use of medicines such as organophosphates, pyrethrins, hydrogen peroxide
or benzoylphenyl ureas.

The use of these medicines in fish farms is, however, highly regulated due to
concerns about contamination of the wider marine environment. In this paper we report the use of photochemically
active biocides for the treatment of a marine copepod, which is a model of parasitic sea lice.
Photochemical activation and subsequent photodegradation of PDAs may represent a controllable and
environmentally benign option for control of these parasites or other pest organisms in aquaculture.

Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology 95 (2009) 58–63