Gyrodactylus salaris
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| Gyrodactylus salaris | ||||||||||||||
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| Gyrodactylus salaris Malmberg, 1957 |
Gyrodactylus salaris is a small monogenean ectoparasite (about 0.5 mm long) which mainly lives on the skin of freshwater Atlantic salmon. It attaches to the fish by a large specialized posterior attachment organ, the (haptor) which has sixteen sharp hooks located around its margin. When feeding, the parasite attaches its anterior end to the fish with cephalic glands. It everts its pharynx through the mouth and releases a digestive solution with proteolytic enzymes which dissolves the salmon skin. Mucus and dissolved skin are then sucked into the gut. This feeding activity results in ulcers and lesions in the fish skin.
Historically, Gyrodactylus-infected rivers have been treated with the indiscriminate pesticide/piscicide rotenone. A newer method of treatment employs dosing small volumes of aqueous aluminium and sulfuric acid into the river. A huge advantage of this method is its ability to kill the parasites without harming the hosts. This new method has shown promising results in Batnfjordselva River and Lærdalselva River, two rivers in Norway.
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