Control of the Parasitic Copepod<i>Caligus elongatus</i>on Pond-Reared Red Drum

Abstract

Red drums Sciaenops ocellatus that became infested with the copepod Caligus elongatus during rearing in seawater ponds were successfully treated with a 20-min freshwater dip after harvest and before being stocked in the wild. This treatment killed all copepods. Short-term (30min) and long-term (18-h) treatments with Copper Control, trichlorfon, and formalin were less effective than fresh water.