A REPORT ON SOME METAZOAN PARASITES OF WILD MARINE SALMON (SALMO-SALAR L) FROM THE WEST-COAST OF NORWAY WITH COMMENTS ON THEIR INTERACTIONS WITH FARMED SALMON

A survey of metazoan parasites of wild salmon returning to western Norway revealed copepod, nematode, cestode and trematode species to be present. Two species, the copepod Lepeophtheirus salmonis and the cestode Eubothrium sp., are currently known to cause serious economic losses in Norwegian salmon farming. Larvae of the nematode species Anisakis simplex, while not currently a problem in farmed salmon, are a well known problem in wild fisheries. The prevalence and distribution of each species are presented for both wild and farmed salmon, where known, and discussed in light of present day knowledge of the life cycles of the individual species.