Clinical Vibrio anguillarum infection in lumpsucker Cyclopterus lumpus in Scotland

The lumpsucker, Cyclopterus lumpus , is a scorpaeniform marine fish inhabiting the rocky seabed of the North Atlantic and southern parts of the Arctic ocean. The species is highly valued by the Icelandic fishing industry and its eggs are used for human consumption. In recent years, the aquaculture industry has become interested in this species due to its potential use as a cleaner fish for biological control of sea lice on Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar . As for the majority of wild fish species, knowledge of optimal husbandry and diseases affecting lumpsucker is scarce. Its new use in intensive aquaculture highlights the need for further knowledge of its susceptibility to infections; for welfare, management and biosecurity reasons. This short communication describes a clinical vibriosis caused by Vibrio anguillarum in wild caught captive lumpsucker in Scotland. The affected individuals, with a mean weight of 36 g, were being kept in tanks prior to intended transfer to offshore salmon cages. The water temperature in the tanks was 6°C and the fish were fed a commercial marine fish diet. Mortality levels ranged from 3.6 per cent to 16.8 per cent between tanks in the week prior to sampling, and affected fish exhibited a number of gross signs including congestion and haemorrhage …