Jacobsen Ása, Mortensen Agnes Mols, Eliasen Kirstin, Egholm Elin, Nolsøe Marner, Johannesen Ása
Department of Biotechnology, Firum PF, Tórshavn, The Faroe Islands.
Department of Research, Tari Spf., Fámjin, The Faroe Islands.
PLoS One. 2025 Sep 3;20(9):e0322261. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0322261. eCollection 2025.
Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) aquaculture is a major industry in several countries worldwide and a growing enterprise in others. One of the main challenges the industry faces is infestations with the parasitic copepod Lepeoptheirus salmonis, or salmon lice. Several different chemical and mechanical methods are available for alleviating the problem, but often at cost to salmon welfare and/or the environment. In some regions cleaner fish have been introduced to farming facilities as an environmentally and salmon welfare friendly option for reducing sea lice infestations. In some North Atlantic countries, lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) are being used as cleaner fish. However, poor welfare and high mortality rates of lumpfish in salmon farming are frequent issues, and the need to improve lumpfish welfare is great. One adaptation for salmon farms is to provide the lumpfish with shelters to meet their need to rest and hide. Plastic shelters are the most widely used form, but seaweed shelters have more recently also been applied as a more natural solution. This project investigated the potential effect of seaweed and plastic shelters on the skin and gill microbiome of lumpfish and any potential correlation to their welfare. In an experimental setup in a commercial salmon farming facility, lumpfish from pens with either plastic or seaweed shelters were sampled over a period of approximately three months. The results showed that the bacterial communities on the two shelter types were significantly different and fewer potentially pathogenic bacteria dominated the skin microbiome of lumpfish living with seaweed shelters than of those living with plastic shelters. No differences were detected in the welfare of the lumpfish and further investigations are needed to clarify any potential implications of the differences detected in the skin microbiome of lumpfish including responses to stressful conditions.
大西洋鲑鱼（Salmo salar）养殖在全球多个国家都是一项主要产业，在其他一些国家也在不断发展壮大。该产业面临的主要挑战之一是受到寄生桡足类动物鲑居尾孢虫（Lepeoptheirus salmonis），即鲑鱼虱的侵扰。有几种不同的化学和机械方法可用于缓解这一问题，但往往会对鲑鱼的健康和/或环境造成损害。在一些地区，已将清洁鱼引入养殖设施，作为减少海虱侵扰的一种对环境和鲑鱼健康友好的选择。在一些北大西洋国家，太平洋刺鳖（Cyclopterus lumpus）被用作清洁鱼。然而，太平洋刺鳖在鲑鱼养殖中健康状况不佳和死亡率高是常见问题，因此改善太平洋刺鳖健康状况的需求很大。鲑鱼养殖场的一种适应性措施是为太平洋刺鳖提供庇护所，以满足它们休息和藏身的需求。塑料庇护所是使用最广泛的形式，但最近海藻庇护所也作为一种更天然的解决方案被应用。该项目研究了海藻和塑料庇护所对太平洋刺鳖皮肤和鳃微生物群的潜在影响，以及与它们健康状况的任何潜在关联。在一个商业鲑鱼养殖设施的实验装置中，对来自配有塑料或海藻庇护所的围栏中的太平洋刺鳖进行了大约三个月的采样。结果表明，两种庇护所类型上的细菌群落存在显著差异，与生活在塑料庇护所中的太平洋刺鳖相比，生活在海藻庇护所中的太平洋刺鳖皮肤微生物群中潜在致病细菌的占比更少。在太平洋刺鳖的健康状况方面未检测到差异，需要进一步研究以阐明在太平洋刺鳖皮肤微生物群中检测到的差异的任何潜在影响，包括对应激条件的反应。
