sea lice

[whenican]

A month ago some of the big blues I caught had sea lice on yheir gill plates

[J.A. Veil]

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![ATTACH=CONFIG]14056[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]14057[/ATTACH]


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.

The term "sea lice" refers to different types of organisms in different parts of the country. I am not an expert in marine parasitology. But as I read several sites on the internet yesterday before making my post describing our Chesapeake sea lice as "isopods", I saw many other web pages that describe a completely different family of crustaceans -- copepods. The small creatures pictured in Steve's photo are parasitic copepods. You can find more information about them at http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm...rticles_id=388.

I do not know if the sea lice we see on the gills of our sea-run stripers are harmful to the fish (parasitic) or are just along for the ride. But in any case, they are different from the "sea lice" Cowpokey and Steve saw in Alaska.

[Slobber Bob]

The creatures pictured in Steve and Cowpockeys post are what I always thought were commonly referred to as "sea lice" in our area. They're often a reddish color and I've caught fish out of the ocean and bay that have had them.

The picture John has are small isopods and I've never heard them referred to as "sea lice". They are often found in the ocean and as the water temperatures drop they become more common. I've never seen them on a live fish, but they will destroy your cut bait. They seem to be more common in the surf around November/December/January and after dark can clean a bunker head in no time flat. I have some pictures on my work computer I'll have to post later of dozens of isopods pouring out of bunker heads after I reeled them in.

Then there are the bigger isopods that attach to a fishes gills . 4c486e7c_isopod.jpg I'm not sure if they are different then the one's in John's picture or not? I've read they aren't harmful to the fish and I don't recall ever catching a fish on the coastal side of the peninsula with these attached, but lot's of blues and bass in the Chessy that had them attached to the gills.

[jhoss]

I caught one of those gaunt and sickly looking stripers over the summer that was just covered with the type of sea lice pictured in cowpokey's photo. I always associated them with fish that were unhealthy, as other fish in past years with scabs and such seemed to have them. I haven't really seen them too much on healthy fish....What is everyone else finding?

[Pat Smith]

When I was fishing the Puget sound out of Seattle, we caught 12 or so salmon. Everyone had "sea lice" but they were concentrated around the fish's anus and not the gills. Those were real healthy fish too.

[Cowpokey]

When I was fishing the Puget sound out of Seattle, we caught 12 or so salmon. Everyone had "sea lice" but they were concentrated around the fish's anus and not the gills. Those were real healthy fish too.

Those were very common on the salmon we got up in the Cook Inlet, those were healthy fish too. I wonder if the isopods that came home with me got on the fish that died on the stringer?

[Longtrav]

I have surfed around jettys in OBX and sea lice hurt bad! real bad!

[Cowpokey]

I have surfed around jettys in OBX and sea lice hurt bad! real bad!

I saw pictures of people that got "attacked" by sea lice, it looked painful. The little isopod in my original picture latched on to my finger tip pretty quick and with a strong grip.

[Slobber Bob]

The picture John has are small isopods and I've never heard them referred to as "sea lice". They are often found in the ocean and as the water temperatures drop they become more common. I've never seen them on a live fish, but they will destroy your cut bait. They seem to be more common in the surf around November/December/January and after dark can clean a bunker head in no time flat. I have some pictures on my work computer I'll have to post later of dozens of isopods pouring out of bunker heads after I reeled them in.

Bait stealing isopods...P1000697.jpgP1000701.jpg

[Cowpokey]

Wow, those are big.

[Steve]

Here's a tidbit about the sea lice Copepods that ride on salmon. These are the ones found on " ocean caught or fresh out of the ocean in freshwaters" salmon.

The life cycle of the sea louse, like all crustaceans, is a series of molts. At the napulii stage the sea louse is free swimming and does not feed, instead gaining nutrients from internal yolk reserves. In the intermediate copepod stage the lice use their hooked antennas and frontal filaments to attach themselves to fish; they are still too small to cause any real damage as they feed on the juvenile salmon. As the lice move through the more mobile pre-adult and adult stages they attach to the fish by suction and can become lethal. The lice are able move, or “graze” on the host fish’s body, preferring the head, back and perianal areas. Their preferred diet is mucus, blood, and skin.

There are two species of sea lice found on salmon, Caligus elongates and Lepeophtheirus salmonis. C. elongates effects many species of marine fish, while L. salmonis is found only on salmon and related species. Sea lice are common on adult salmon, and fall off as the salmon return to freshwater streams to spawn. This insures there are no surviving sea lice where the juvenile salmon outmigrate in the spring.

Those isopods that I call sand fleas seen jumping about on the beach near and under sargasso weed are found to be bait devourers in Alaskan waters, too. They will strip your baits fast and can empty a crab pot of bait before the crabs have a chance.

The ones found on the giant Alligator Gar I caught in Texas were another type of freshwater parasitic louse. Very flat, scooted around when touched and were on the head and fins mainly. One is a close up with enhanced contrast. The other shows them on the head and "neck" area of the gar. This fish was taped at 6' 2" and about 115#. Very healthy, very strong specimen. P8160173.jpgP8160169.jpg

[Cowpokey]

Snaggedline University in action again. Thanks for the information and education!

Maybe the term "sea lice" is a locality thing, that is the generic term in Alaska for isopod and copepods...apparently.

[Pat Smith]

Advice...
Don't read the above paragraph while eating a salad.. kind gross.

[surfdog]

Good I've been waiting for some stripers with sea lice. Bigger fish coming to feed before wintering of VA beach.