Lice parasite plagues salmon industry

Salmon have a lousy problem, and the race to solve it is spanning the globe.

A surge of parasitic sea lice is disrupting salmon farms around the world. The lice attach themselves to salmon and feed on them, rendering them useless as a food fish.

The lice are a problem on salmon farms in the U.S., Canada, Scotland, Norway and Chile. Scientists and fish farmers are working on new ways to control the lice, although so far it has been an uphill struggle.

Solutions include bathing the salmon in warm water to remove the lice and zapping the fish with underwater lasers.

Some farmers say the lice are the biggest problem facing farmed salmon. Salmon are among the world's most valuable farmed fish.