The digestion time for salmon louse (Lepeoptheirus salmonis) in lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) in relation to freshness, developmental stage, and temperature.

Sea lice infestations cause significant economic losses in the Atlantic salmon aquaculture industry. To biologically control sea lice at farming sites, cleaner fish such as lumpfish are employed. However, the efficacy of lumpfish is under constant debate, primarily due to limited knowledge of digestion times, which makes it difficult to interpret the number of salmon lice found in the stomach contents of dissected lumpfish.