Characterisation of Lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus L.) Skin and Development of a Digital Histomorphometric Tool to Analyse It
Publication details
Journal : Journal of Fish Diseases , vol. 48 , 2025
								
									International Standard Numbers
									:
								
								
																	Printed
									:
									0140-7775
									
																	Electronic
									:
									1365-2761
									
															
Publication type : Academic article
Issue : 6
									
										Links
										:
									
									
																			DOI
										:
										
																						doi.org/10.1111/jfd.14109
											
										
										
																	
Research areas
Farmed fish
If you have questions about the publication, you may contact Nofima’s Chief Librarian.
Kjetil Aune
Chief Librarian
kjetil.aune@nofima.no
Summary
Lumpfish are commonly used as cleaner fish in the production of Atlantic salmon as a preventive measure against sea lice. This, and other procedures, are stressful and may harm the cleaner fish. In this work, lumpfish skin was studied to understand this organ better and to develop tools to analyse and monitor lumpfish skin health. Three different sample sets were used: preadult lumpfish from a land-based hatchery, adult lumpfish from a salmon farm and adult lumpfish before and after a delousing at a commercial salmon farm. We developed a digital histomorphometric algorithm in Aiforia to better quantify structures and measure skin features and to study the effects of delousing treatment on lumpfish skin. Results show that lumpfish skin is highly complex. The specific cells and their integrity are important for the fish to maintain homeostasis and protect against the outer environment. Damages in skin are induced during or after delousing, and these damages may make the fish more susceptible to secondary infections. The detected damages may be difficult to observe through visual inspections, and in-depth analyses at the cellular level may be needed to understand the impact of different stressors on lumpfish health.



