Sea Lice research group

The salmon lice group specializes in the study of ectoparasites, particularly salmon lice - Lepeophtheirus salmonis. The salmon louse is a parasite that feeds on salmon and causes significant damage to the fish. Consequently, the fish becomes vulnerable to other diseases, which together result in poor welfare for the salmon. The spread of salmon lice is a major problem in the aquaculture industry, but increasingly also for wild salmon populations.

The group, led by Professor Frank Nilsen, studies the biology and genomics of salmon lice to understand their growth and reproduction, and how they manipulate their host - Salmon salar. The main goal of the group is to increase knowledge about the biology of salmon lice in a broad sense and contribute with knowledge to develop new treatment methods such as new drugs, vaccines against salmon lice, as well as knowledge about the function of non-medical treatment methods.