§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what consideration his Department's experts are giving to Norwegian experiments to eliminate the use of Nuvan in dealing with problems of sea lice.
§ Mr. LangInformation on the use of gold sinny wrasse as "cleaner fish" to remove sea lice from farmed salmon was given in my replies to the hon. Member on 22 January and on 13 November last year.
Scientists in Norway are also working on the use of a natural insecticide, pyrethrin, which is found in chrysanthemum flowers, to control sea lice infestation in farmed salmon. The method employed involves mixing a crude extract of pyrethrin with oil which is poured on to the top of the water in fish cages. Details of the treatment regime, method of recovery and fate of the oil are required before a detailed environmental impact assessment can be made.
Scientists at the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland's marine laboratory continue to take an active part in research to develop alternative treatments for sea lice infestation, and to monitor work being carried out elsewhere.