Norway's Benchmark Genetics has launched a new research and innovation project that aims to develop new, scalable genetic tools that would enable Atlantic salmon to better resist sea lice through selective breeding.
Benchmark's LuseLess project is being undertaken in collaboration with Nofima, Norway's main research institute for food, fisheries and aquaculture.
Sea lice remain a major constraint on fish welfare, production efficiency, and sustainability in salmon aquaculture. Benchmark said that while the industry has developed a wide range of operational and technological measures to manage lice levels, long-term solutions require fish that are inherently more resilient.
Instead of managing parasites LuseLess will focus on breeding salmon with improved biological resistance. The project builds on insights from previous research from the project CrispResist, showing that Pacific salmon species possess cellular and genetic mechanisms that either reduce lice attachment or eliminate lice early after infection.
Benchmark said that by applying this knowledge to Atlantic salmon, the project seeks to identify new resistance phenotypes that can be incorporated into commercial breeding programmes.
The core scientific objective of LuseLess is to better understand how variation in the salmon’s cellular immune response influences resistance to sea lice. The project will investigate whether these immune responses are heritable, how they relate to lice levels in real challenge tests, and how they interact with other key production traits.
In parallel, the project will develop scalable, labour-intensive biopsy and profiling methods, enabling the application of advanced immune phenotyping across thousands of fish. Benchmark said this is a critical step in translating research findings into practical breeding tools.
