§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what research is currently being undertaken by his Department into the use of the gold sinny wrasse as a substitute for pesticide use in fish farming.
§ Mr. LangI have been asked to reply.
Control of sea lice infestation is mainly a problem for marine salmon farms all but a few of which, in the United Kingdom, are located in Scotland.
The possible use of gold sinny wrasse to control sea lice is being investigated in trials by the Institute of Fishery Technology Research in Norway and in Scotland by the Sea Fish Industry Authority's sea farming unit in conjunction with the salmon farming industry.
A full evaluation of the Sea Fish Industry Authority's initial trials is not expected until the end of the year. Preliminary results including those from small-scale field trials with wrasse taken from the wild suggest that numbers of sea lice on farmed salmon are reduced in enclosures shared by wrasse. The viability of this method for large-scale and long-term control of sea lice is uncertain as yet and more work will be needed before commercial viability can be assessed.
Although the work is not being undertaken directly at the hands of Fisheries Departments, the results will be of considerable interest in relation to the investigation of other possible alternative controls on sea lice. DAFS scientists are co-ordinating a large-scale project, part funded by the European Communities research programme into possible development of a vaccine treatment. Other work is being undertaken with industry support, for example, the institute of aquaculture, university of Stirling has been commissioned by the Scottish Salmon Growers' Association to investigate alternative treatment methods. It is not possible to say when positive results or practical methods of treatment might emerge from these investigations.