Cloned and outbred Atlantic salmon display equal parasite dispersion when infected with the salmon louse

This is the first study to investigate the distribution of parasite burden on cloned (no genetic variation) and outbred (maximal genetic variation) fish. Our results clearly demonstrate that non-genetic factors represent the primary determinants of Lepeophtheirus salmonis infection-levels among individual Atlantic salmon infected in tanks. These novel results are highly relevant to the aquaculture industry where sea lice represent a major challenge to salmon farming, and breeding programs to decrease susceptibility to this parasite are initiated.