sea lice

[Cowpokey]

Found this little (1/8") fella while washing my kayak today, there were 3 more (up to 1/4") in the cooler I brought fish home yesterday. Looks like a sea lice to me, what are your thoughts? The sea lice that were on fish in Alaska were quite a bit bigger. If these are sea lice, it would it would lead me to believe some of the fish we caught yesterday just recently came in to the bay.

[Pc4sun]

What makes you believe that. I'd love to know the science behind this.

[J.A. Veil]

Here is a photo of some sea lice that came off a rockfish caught at the CBBT in Jan 2012. They are about 1/2" long.

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Typically sea lice are found on rockfish living in the ocean. During the mid to late fall, those fish come into the bay. It is not unusual to find the sea lice on the rockfish during that time of year, but not on the rockfish that spend most of the year in the bay. Cowpokey's fish that held the sea lice may well have recently entered the bay from the ocean.

Sea lice are a part of a family of crustaceans known as isopods. Here is a description from a 2007 DNR Fisheries report:

These are a parasitic isopod called a “fish gill isopod” Linoneca ovalis; which is often found in the gills of juvenile bluefish and sometimes striped bass and other fish living or traveling in the inshore waters of the Atlantic Ocean. They cling tenaciously to the gill filaments of their host with horrible looking hooked legs. They feed on the gill tissue not the blood of the host fish and it is not uncommon for them to leave one fish and free swim until they find another fish to cling to. They live in high salinity waters and are an indication that a fish has been in waters at or close to ocean salinity; which typically is about 35 ppt.

[Cowpokey]

Those are much bigger ones John, definitely the same thing. My picture didn't show much physical detail, the focus was difficult because it was so small. But with the nekid eye I could see the legs. Great post for clarification Sir.

[Cowpokey]

What makes you believe that. I'd love to know the science behind this.

I don't "think" sea lice can survive in the middle of the bay, salinity isn't high enough. I am still learning this stuff though, so I could very well be off my rocker.

[Memory Maker]

I don't "think" sea lice can survive in the middle of the bay, salinity isn't high enough. I am still learning this stuff though, so I could very well be off my rocker.

.......... A lot of the fish caught in mid nov - dec have sea lice in the bay ......... It is a sign that the fish recently came from the ocean ........... The end of October is usually about 2 weeks early ........ LOVE those ocean fish .......... Like hooking an NFL lineman compared to pee wee league ......... Big shoulders and tough fighters

[Cowpokey]

.......... A lot of the fish caught in mid nov - dec have sea lice in the bay ......... It is a sign that the fish recently came from the ocean ........... The end of October is usually about 2 weeks early ........ LOVE those ocean fish .......... Like hooking an NFL lineman compared to pee wee league ......... Big shoulders and tough fighters

I like what I'm hearing! This must be the beginning of migratory fish making it to the middle of the bay. Woot, Woot! The sea lice that were in the cooler definitely came from the 21" fish, so at least one of them was out in the ocean too.

[Steve]

I like what I'm hearing! This must be the beginning of migratory fish making it to the middle of the bay. Woot, Woot! The sea lice that were in the cooler definitely came from the 21" fish, so at least one of them was out in the ocean too.

Having fished Alaskan waters for the last 15 years has exposed me to sea lice on every trip. Seeing them on salmon in freshwater rivers or creeks was definitely a good thing. Halibut, lingcod, rockfish and salmon have them.

Sea lice drop off within 24 hours of entering freshwater or in the bay's case of low salinity they may hang on a little longer.

So congrats on REAL fresh fish captures!image.jpgimage.jpg


PS ... I just recall that the fish i caught in Texas, a giant Alligator Gar , also had lice on it. Freshwater variety as this fish had been 700 miles from the Gulf and probably was never near saltwater.

[Cowpokey]

Those are some big lice.

We got Halibut, Lingcod, Salmon, Black Sea Bass and Yellow Eye in the Cook Inlet; most of them had lice.

Here's a 186lber we had to hit with the bang stick (.38 cal) three times before we put it on the deck. All the white spots are sea lice...for reference, that Halibut was 78 inches.

[daolai]

Interesting because we noted while out there these fish are fighters and maybe that's due to them being fatter but the 16" fish felt like 20" fish. I guess this means we are fishing into December hopefully.

[Cowpokey]

Washing sea lice off the deck is takes more water than any blood or slime. We had a hose with a spray nozzle for deckhand duty...I really enjoyed doing that, fishing in AK is work, but i really enjoyed it as the deckhand for Dad every summer.

[Cowpokey]

The white trash bags were full of halibut fillets from the limit of 50-70 pounders our clients landed that day. We saved cleaning the big fish for last. That was one of the biggest fish we put on the boat in my trips up there. Dad had a bunch over 200, and few over 300 pounds.

[Cowpokey]

Interesting because we noted while out there these fish are fighters and maybe that's due to them being fatter but the 16" fish felt like 20" fish. I guess this means we are fishing into December hopefully.

I should have a dry suit in a couple weeks, I expect to be fishing.

[Goody]

I should have a dry suit in a couple weeks, I expect to be fishing.

What drysuit did you get?

Mobile

[Cowpokey]

What drysuit did you get?

Mobile

Didn't order one yet, will soon.