Estimation of external infection pressure and salmon-louse population growth rate in Faroese salmon farms

Managing salmon louse Lepeophtheirus salmonis outbreaks is a crucial part of aquaculture in sea cages. Treatment management strategies can be optimized with the aid salmon-louse population dynamic models. These models, however, need to calibrated and validated biologically meaningful parameters. Here, based on time-series lice data, we estimated 2 essential model parameters: external infection pressure growth rate for each active farm site period 2011 2018 Faroe Islands. External was found vary between sites ranged average from 0.002 0.1 -1 d . Further, significantly correlated total number gravid Faroese network. Salmon-louse rates were 1.7 5.4% parameter estimates are developing Islands, method estimate these parameters may applicable other regions.