The botanical strategy evaluated in this study addresses one of the salmon industry’s most critical global challenges, sea lice, responsible for annual losses exceeding USD 1 billion due to mortality, animal welfare impacts, reduced growth, downgraded product quality, and regulatory constraints limiting industry growth and sustainability.
This concept has a dual-action approach simultaneously reducing parasite pressure and strengthening host resilience, representing a paradigm shift from reactive, handling-intensive, and drug-dependent approaches toward a preventive strategy aligned with integrated sea lice and health management. The strategy integrates botanical formulations through a feed additive followed by a drinking supplement, strengthening fish resilience throughout the seawater cycle.
Field results show cumulative mortality below 5% (55–75% lower than the global industry average), a 99.1% reduction in fasting days, improved growth performance (~678 g per fish), and 100% reduction of antiparasitic drug use in supplemented groups. By reducing biological and environmental impact, the approach supports sustainable production growth under regulatory frameworks in main salmon producing countries such as Norway and Chile. The absence of handling-intensive operations further reduces fish escapes and mechanical damage, while enhancing animal welfare and product quality.
From a sustainability perspective, Sudvet’s solutions are 100% botanical, traceable, and leave zero chemical residues, achieving a 17–23% reduction in carbon deposition quantified using Depomod. Reductions in water footprint of 1.5-2 months and energy use at farm level have also been observed while maintaining cost-effectiveness. Sea lice larval loads are assessed through oceanographic dispersion models and camera-based monitoring, providing a robust, science-based framework supporting this preventive integrated management strategy.
The program has demonstrated highly positive results against Lepeophtheirus salmonis and Amoebic Gill Disease in trials conducted at Norwegian universities and is currently under roll-out. It has also been widely adopted by leading salmon producers in Chile as an alternative to conventional pharmacological schemes.
In conclusion, this botanical innovation provides a sustainable approach for sea lice management in salmon aquaculture. It eliminates antiparasitic drug use while enhancing performance and resilience at farm level. By reducing environmental risk, it supports responsible industry growth and strengthens the long-term social license to operate.