--- ---  # Why Your Salmon Is About to Get Very Expensive ## Video: 10 Slimming Foods to Eat If You Sit All Day [Watch (HLS stream): 10 Slimming Foods to Eat If You Sit All Day](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Yv3put4p.m3u8) (1:02)  _Published 2016-10-21. Add these recommended foods that follow into your diet to help ease some of the damage of your 9-to-5 and you’ll be on your way to a leaner, healthier you._  by [Justin Worland](/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Jan 23, 2017 7:32 PM CUT  Salmon in Kensington Market in Toronto in 2015 Salmon in Kensington Market in Toronto in 2015Marta Iwanek—Toronto Star via Getty Images  by [Justin Worland](/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Jan 23, 2017 7:32 PM CUT The price of salmon across the globe has surged following widespread contamination by a tiny pest known as sea lice that eat salmon’s blood and skin. The price of salmon has climbed more than 15% in the last three months, according to [data](https://salmonprice.nasdaqomxtrader.com/public/report;jsessionid=5D4FA241FF3C7503251B2D78AFF43B54?0 "undefined") from the NASDAQ Salmon Index. Norwegian salmon prices [jumped](http://en.seafood.no/News-and-media/News-archive/Press-releases/Salmon-and-trout-exports-treble-in-3-years-%E2%80%93-NOK-65-billion-in-2016 "undefined") 40% in 2016 from the previous year. Unusually high salmon prices are likely to remain throughout this year given the time it takes for fish to grow to an appropriate size, according to a _Financial Times_ [report](https://www.ft.com/content/ff231b54-d73a-11e6-944b-e7eb37a6aa8e "undefined"). **Read More:** [The Growing Fight Against Food Fraud](http://time.com/4623413/growing-fight-food-fraud/ "undefined") Sea lice are nothing new, but their effect has grown more widespread alongside the rise of large salmon farms. The farms—essentially large-scaled netted areas in the ocean—act as a [fertile breeding ground](http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view%5Farticle&articles%5Fid=388 "undefined") for sea lice because the closely confined space allows the parasite to spread quickly. The problem has also affected wild salmon as they move nearby the farms. Researchers also [found](http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2016-0122 "undefined") that high water temperatures—largely due to man-made climate change—likely contributed to the problem. **Read More:** [Average American Seafood Intake Increased by a Pound Last Year](http://time.com/4546751/seafood-sustainability-fish/ "undefined") Experts say that an algal bloom off the coast of Chile last year that killed more than 135,000 tons of salmon has also contributed to the price spike. Salmon producers have largely used pesticides to try to eliminate the problem, but some strands of sea lice have grown immune to the problem. Salmons farmers, who have lost millions thanks to sea lice, have invested heavily in developing farms where the pest cannot thrive. One $71 million [project](http://advocate.gaalliance.org/chem-free-fixes-emerging-in-sea-lice-saga/ "undefined") from the Norwegian company Nordlaks aims to help fish avoid tight confines at a length of nearly five football fields. 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