There are two very different kinds of sea
lice. The first are
parasitic copepods in the family
Caligidae. They attach externally attach themselves to fish then feed on their skin, tissue and blood.
Sea lice is a major problem for both wild and
commercially farmed salmon as well as other
common salt water fish.
The second type of ‘sea lice’ is actually
larvae of
thimble jellyfish (
linuche unguiculata) that
sting when trapped beneath a bathing suit. Also know as seabathers
eruption, ‘sea lice’ are smaller than a grain of sand and common along the southern coast of
Florida and the
Caribbean islands between the months of March and July. Symptoms usually surface about four to ten hours after
swimming in the ocean and include a rash or large bumps where stung and
intense itching that can last up to two weeks. More severe reactions include fever, nausea, headaches and muscle spasms.