Fish Farmer cites UMaine in article about oral vaccine for sea lice
The University of Maine was mentioned in a Fish Farmer magazine article about an oral vaccine being developed for sea lice by a team of Scottish and international aquaculture experts. Sea lice are estimated to cost the Atlantic salmon production industry about $550 million a year. The new approach will use advanced nanoparticle technology to deliver the vaccine via specially developed feeds that aim to improve fish resistance to parasites, according to the article Innovative bio-engineering tools also will target sea lice by triggering strong immune responses in the skin of fish, rather than delivering it through the bloodstream alone, according to the article. Sharing approaches employed to control ticks in agriculture, the new vaccine aims to directly target the proteins important for the parasite’s survival. Wellston Journal cited Ian Bricknell, a professor of aquaculture at Maine, in an article about sea lice. The cost of sea lice to the Atlantic salmon farming industry is at least £400 million, according to Bricknell.