The effects of hydrogen peroxide treatment on different life-cycle stages of the salmon louse, Lepeophtheirus salmonis (Kroyer, 1837)

Abstract

The effects of hydrogen peroxide administered at a concentration of 1500 ppm for 20 min at 7.5 °C on different life-cycle stages of Lepeophtheirus salmonis were examined experimentally. The mobile adult and pre-adult stages of L. salmonis readily reattached to Atlantic salmon after hydrogen peroxide treatment. Adult female lice, but not adult males or pre-adults, reattached in significantly lower numbers than untreated controls. Survival of early chalimus stages (I and II) was not affected by hydrogen peroxide treatment, but their subsequent development to chalimus III and IV was delayed compared with untreated controls. Nauplii and copepodid larvae of L. salmonis were almost all dead by 1 hour post-treatment. A very few copepodids survived 24 h post-treatment. Egg strings of L. salmonis at an early stage of development failed to hatch after hydrogen peroxide treatment, but those with pigmented eggs did hatch, although in significantly reduced numbers. Treated egg strings did produce viable copepodids, although in significantly reduced numbers compared with controls.