Salmon Lice and extinction

The local Alaska fishermen have been complaining about net-pen aquaculture, fish farming, for years. I live in an Alaska Coast fishing village where salmon fishing is indeed dropping off. This weeks "Nature Magazine" 451 p22-23 contains an article by Rosenberg and quoting from Krkosek, "Science" 318, 1772-1775, suggests that most of the salmon populations exposed to the high concentration of Salmon Lice, Lepeophtheirus salmonis, are at risk of extinction with in 4 salmon generations.

It is the young salmon migrating past the fish farms from upper streams and lakes to the open sea that are particularly susceptible to the infestation. Most fish farms are located next to or within critical salmon streams. Farm salmon can be treated for the Sea Lice but the wild stocks have no such protection.
andy.rosenberg@unh.edu