Our aquatic team is committed to working closely with research scientists, veterinarians, producers, diagnosticians and feed specialists worldwide to develop sustainable, cost-effective sea lice control programs for the global salmon industry, said Robin Wardle, director of aquatic health technical services, MSD Animal Health. The range of our new educational tools and other reference material is contributing to this goal.
Appearing at Sea Lice 2012, an international scientific conference in Bergen (Norway), MSD Animal Health unveiled two 36-page color booklets designed to help the salmon industry make even more effective use of SLICE (emamectin benzoate), the industrys leading parasiticide for sea lice.
One publication, SLICE Usage Guidelines, was developed by aquatic health specialists at MSD Animal Health to review the principles of sea lice resistance management and the key factors in developing sustainable, integrated programs. The booklet also reviews other sea lice treatment options, timing of controls and feeding guidelines. In addition, it includes an overview of the SLICE Sustainability Project and a separate chapter with practical answers to frequently asked questions about sea lice management.
MSD Animal Health also released a new SLICE Technical Monograph with detailed chapters on pharmacokinetics, toxicology and environmental characteristics. An extensive chapter on the efficacy of SLICE includes the latest data demonstrating the effectiveness of the product in Canada, Chile, Norway and Scotland.
The company also presented an updated version of its 24-page SLICE Sustainability Project brochure, which outlines the four core principles of the initiative - protect, conserve, renew and succeed and provides practical advice and field-proven solutions for developing and maintaining successful sea lice management programs.
In addition, MSD Animal Health expanded its portfolio of Technical Bulletins developed to provide additional support for the SLICE Sustainability Project. The seven bulletins review sampling procedures for medicated feed, feed-assay methods, bioassay protocols for determining sea lice sensitivity, flesh testing after treatment, monitoring results on the stability of emamectin in solution and best-practice treatment principles.
At Sea Lice 2012, MSD Animal Health technical manager Lene Hgset, DVM, and colleagues presented a poster summarizing an evaluation of using bioassays to measure the susceptibility of sea lice to SLICE on 84 salmon farms in Norway. Sea lice research supported by MSD Animal Health was also presented by Jan Huemann, a graduate student at University of Stirling, Stirling (United Kingdom), and Sonja Saksida, DVM, MSc, executive director for the BC Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences, Campbell River BC (Canada).
For more information about the SLICE Sustainability Project and copies of the new publications, contact your local Merck/MSD Animal Health representative or visit http://aqua.msd-animal-health.com.
MSD Animal Health Debuts New Technical Materials to Support SLICE Sustainability Project
NETHERLANDS - MSD Animal Health (known as Merck Animal Health in the United States and Canada) recently introduced new educational tools and reference materials to support its highly successful SLICE Sustainability Project - a comprehensive, six-step integrated strategy to help the worlds salmon producers develop lasting, sustainable control programs for managing sea lice, a costly parasite.
