Sea lice resistance research project is launched.
Benchmark Genetics has launched a new research and innovation project, LuseLess, in collaboration with Norwegian research institute Nofima, aimed at strengthening sea lice resistance in Atlantic salmon through selective breeding.
The project addresses sea lice, which remain a persistent biological challenge for salmon farming, with impacts on fish welfare, production efficiency and sustainability. LuseLess is funded with NOK 10 million from the Research Council of Norway through an Innovation Project in Industry programme and will run from January 2026 to December 2027.
According to Benchmark Genetics, the project represents a shift from operational sea lice management towards breeding fish with improved biological resistance. The work builds on findings from earlier research, including the CrispResist project, which identified cellular and genetic mechanisms in Pacific salmon species that reduce lice attachment or eliminate lice early after infection.
LuseLess aims to apply this knowledge to Atlantic salmon by identifying resistance-related phenotypes that can be incorporated into commercial breeding programmes.
A central objective of the project is to better understand how variation in the cellular immune response affects resistance to sea lice. Researchers will assess whether these immune traits are heritable, how they correlate with lice levels in controlled challenge tests, and how they interact with other production traits.
In parallel, the project will develop scalable biopsy and immune profiling methods intended to allow advanced immune phenotyping across large fish populations, enabling application in commercial breeding programmes.
Benchmark Genetics will contribute in-kind resources, including access to samples from sea lice challenge tests in Iceland, large-scale genotyping capacity and input from its global salmon genetics team. Nofima will provide expertise in immune cell function at sea lice attachment sites, as well as methodological development to support implementation in breeding programmes.
The project is led by Serap Gonen, Lead, Salmon Genomics at Benchmark Genetics.
“LuseLess represents a move towards breeding fish that are better equipped to resist sea lice by design,” Gonen said. “By combining advanced genetics with immune biology, we aim to deliver durable improvements in sea lice resistance that can be implemented at scale.”
Nick Robinson, Senior Research Scientist at Nofima, said the collaboration enables closer integration between research and industry application.
“This project allows us to translate detailed knowledge of immune cell function into practical tools for selective breeding,” Robinson said.
Benchmark Genetics said the project aligns with its longer-term strategy to use research-driven selective breeding to support fish welfare and sustainable Atlantic salmon production.
