Atlantic Salmon.

For the treatment of salmon suffering from infestation with motile (pre-adult to adult) sea lice, Lepeophtheirus salmonis or Caligus spp, prior to the stage where serious tissue damage occurs.

Do not exceed the recommended concentration of hydrogen peroxide.

Do not use at high water temperatures.

Extreme care should be taken if using hydrogen peroxide at water temperatures above 14°C. If treatment is unavoidable, hydrogen peroxide concentration and contact time should be reduced. If signs of atypical behaviour, e.g. fish losing equilibrium or hyperactivity are observed, treatment should be stopped immediately.

Do not use in fish with a mean weight of less than 200g.

Do not treat fish which are showing clinical signs of previous gill damage. If signs of atypical behaviour, e.g. fish losing equilibrium or hyperactivity are observed, treatment should be stopped immediately. An assessment of gill condition and the possibility of other stressors e.g. algal blooms should be made before commencement of treatments.

Do not use in stressed fish.

Repeated use of the same chemotherapeutic agent may encourage the development of resistance to the agent.

If problems occur when raising nets or setting the tarpaulin extending the time that fish are constricted within the treatment bath, extra care should be taken as fish may be unduly stressed prior to hydrogen peroxide addition.

In the event that fish begin to lose their equilibrium and possibly begin to sink during treatment with hydrogen peroxide, tarpaulins must be removed immediately. Residual hydrogen peroxide should be flushed from the cage using the wash from a boat.

Oxygen sparges should remain in the cage even if they are not used during the treatment. This provides the ability to agitate moribund fish preventing them settling on the floor of the net. Affected fish should recover after a short period when nets may be dropped to their full extent.

If during treatment with hydrogen peroxide fish become hyperactive, this may be indicative of increased hydrogen peroxide concentrations or that fish have become unduly stressed.

Hydrogen peroxide concentration may be tested using the Solvay test method and dissolved oxygen should be monitored to prevent an oxygen crash occurring. In the event that the hydrogen peroxide and dissolved oxygen concentration are normal but hyperactivity persists, treatment should be stopped. This should prevent a subsequent oxygen crash and minimise scaling of fish.

The nets should be partially lowered to increase the volume of water available to the fish and hydrogen peroxide residuals should be flushed away using the wash from a boat. These actions should relieve any undue stress to the fish. The activity of the fish should be allowed to return to normal before the nets are completely dropped.

Do not attempt to administer the product unless you have been fully trained to handle and use the product, and are fully aware of operational and safety procedures.

This product can cause skin, eye and respiratory irritation.

Avoid breathing in product fumes, and avoid contact with skin and eyes.

Wear personal protective equipment whilst handling this product, consisting of chemically resistant headgear, face shield or safety goggles, chemically resistant PVC acid suit / oilskins, chemically resistant PVC gloves (with cuff under suit) and safety rubber wellington boots (with suit over boots).

Before commencing handling of this product ensure a supply of fresh water and preferably eye wash solutions are available.

Wash hands after use.

In case of accidental exposure to the product, immediately soak all clothing with copious volumes of water, from a water supply, remove any contaminated clothing and thoroughly clean the contaminated clothing before re-using.

In case of accidental contact with eyes, rinse immediately with plenty of clean running water and seek medical advice.

After contact with skin, wash immediately with plenty of water.

In case of accident or if you feel unwell, seek medical advice immediately (show the label where possible).

In case of accidental ingestion of the product, seek medical attention immediately showing the physician the product label.

Depending on regional requirements, the user may need to apply for and obtain consent for discharge. Check with the relevant regional legislative body e.g. SEPA in Scotland.

The most important mechanism for removal of hydrogen peroxide in coastal waters is dilution and degradation which are increased by water movements including the flushing effects in sea lochs. Do not use at times of slack water as poor dilution and dissociation of residuals may occur. After treatment care should be taken to provide sufficient water exchange through the net to dilute residual hydrogen peroxide. The wash from a boat’s propeller may be used to increase water exchange in cases where low water exchange rates cannot be avoided. These measures will help to prevent possible adverse effects on aquatic life.

Do not allow concentrated product to contaminate wood, paper, grass or any other combustible materials as this may cause fire.

A water hose or other plentiful water supply should be available to dilute any spills and leaks of the product.

Do not return any product to original container.

Use clean and vented containers to retain any spilled product.

Adverse reactions with the product are rare.

Any cellular damage to the gill during treatment is transient and reparable.

See Contraindications Section.

However, common signs that an adverse reaction is occurring include: fish losing equilibrium and possibly sinking, and fish becoming hyperactive which may be a result of increased Hydrogen Peroxide concentrations or increasing fish stress levels.

Measures to treat fish undergoing adverse reactions are detailed in 'Special Precautions for Use' section.

Not applicable.

Hydrogen peroxide should not interact with other medicaments as it is not systemic and is purely a physical treatment. If fish are stressed due to over handling or disease, any form of lice treatment would produce further stress. However, this may be less detrimental than the lice burden.

Where medicaments have been given and gill function may be compromised, hydrogen peroxide should not be administered.

Refer to 'Special Precautions for Use' section for further information.

For external use only.

As the volume of water enclosed within the tarpaulin, temperature and duration of treatment impact on efficacy, the dosing instructions and regimen should be adhered to.

By total enclosure method at a concentration of approximately 1500 mgl-1 as hydrogen peroxide for a maximum of 20 minutes contact.

Infested fish should be bathed in 1500 mgl-1 hydrogen peroxide for a period of between 15 and 20 minutes. The contact time being dependent on the final concentration of hydrogen peroxide. The contact time should be decreased as water temperature exceeds 14°C.

The product is administered by the total enclosure method in which the fish cage net is raised to an approximate depth, e.g. 2 m. Then a tarpaulin is drawn beneath the net to produce the treatment bath. When this procedure has been accomplished, checks should be made to ensure that fish do not become trapped within folds of the net. Sufficient oxygen diffusers should be placed in the treatment enclosure to support the number and size of fish present. Oxygen should now be applied to the system.

Care should be taken when setting the tarpaulin so as not to unduly reduce the volume of the treatment bath. If fish treatment densities are too high, scaling and hyperactivity may occur. A suggested maximum treatment density would be 150 kgm-3 but this would be dependent on fish size, year class etc. Fish must not be fed for at least 24 hours prior to treatment.

If nets are heavily fouled, care should be taken when using hydrogen peroxide. Bottle weights should be applied around the periphery of the treatment bath to prevent flotation of the net. These should be applied before commencing treatment.

The estimated volume of the product to produce the treatment concentration of approximately 1500 mgl-1 hydrogen peroxide should now be administered using safe and compatible dosing equipment.

To achieve an effective concentration of 1500 mgl-1 in a cage, you will need approximately 2.6 litres of the product for every metre cube of water to be treated.

The following steps should be followed before any treatment commences.

Samples of water should be taken at several points to assess the concentration of the treatment solution using the simple titration test method provided.

If the treatment concentration is found to be low, sufficient hydrogen peroxide should be added to achieve the treatment concentration.

The required volume of product to be added may be estimated from the dosage and administration table shown below:

If treatment concentration is high, the contact time may be reduced or the tarpaulin should be dropped. A contact time of between 15-20 minutes should prove sufficient for effective removal of lice.

Measurement of the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in solution should be continued during the treatment and after the tarpaulin has been removed to ensure efficient dispersion has occurred.

During the treatment, fish must be observed for any signs of atypical behaviour. If fish appear distressed, e.g. losing equilibrium or becoming hyperactive during the treatment, remove the tarpaulin and lower the net.

Reference should be made to 'Special Precautions for Use' section.

After treatment ensure that residual hydrogen peroxide is dispersed in the local vicinity as quickly as possible, perhaps using the wash of a boat propeller.

Merckoquant 110011 teststicks (Graduations: 0.5-2-5-10-25 mg/l) or Reflectoquant teststicks Merck 116974 (Range 0.2 – 20 mg/l) or similar commercially available test kits may be used to monitor low levels of residual hydrogen peroxide.

Methods of analysis, advice on test kits, dosing equipment and product handling, and Safety Data Sheets for the product are available from the supplier.

A second application may be required (dependent on routine lice monitoring), to ensure the removal of previously surviving chalami, which will have moulted through to pre-adult stages. Care should be taken not to allow a build up of mature lice as resettlement of copepodids could occur.

Where possible, treatments should be conducted during periods of high tidal flow to ensure good dispersal of residual hydrogen peroxide and dislodged lice. This will minimise any possible resettlement of lice.

An overdose situation may occur by two methods:

(i) Addition of too much hydrogen peroxide to the treatment bath producing a higher concentration than recommended.

In this event refer to contraindications and warnings.

(ii) Extended contact period above the recommended 15-20 minutes. This may be due to the poor dispersion of hydrogen peroxide after treatment. In this event refer to contraindications and warnings.

Strong solutions of hydrogen peroxide produce irritation and 'burning' of skin and mucous membranes or gills.

Emergency procedures: remove tarpaulins immediately and flush hydrogen peroxide from the cage using the wash from a boat.

Zero days.