The Broughton crash has become a rallying event for people concerned about the potential environmental effects of open-net salmon farming, which has become a $10 billion (€7.6 billion) industry worldwide, producing nearly 1.5 million tons of fish annually.
The new study, published online this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, does not determine what caused the crash, but it acquits the prime suspect: sea lice.
The study's lead author is Gary Marty, a veterinary pathologist and research associate at the University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.
