I caught a 21" laker on Father's Day that had several fish lice on its back but was otherwise plump and quite healthy so I threw it back. Then I got to thinking maybe I should harvest these fish to help control the spread of these parasites. Do the lice kill the fish in the long run and is it best for the fishery and the infected fish to cull them?
They're small, about 2-3 mm, with 2 white sacs hanging off a clear gooey body attached to the fish. I've only seen them twice and both times on lakers out of say 120 salmon,lakers, and bows. Maybe they aren't anything to worry about, like cod worms.
