There are concerns that sea lice in the coastal environment are impacting on the return rates of wild Atlantic salmon on the West coast of Scotland. Studies in Norway and Ireland involving examining survival of groups of migrating salmon smolts treated with anti-sea lice medicines have shown that sea lice can adversely affect certain salmon populations. A pilot project conducted by Marine Scotland Science using portable traps determined that developing a network of experimental sites across Scotland was not likely to be feasible. The pilot study here was to make an assessment whether the Awe catchment could be used as a West coast site that could provide an indication of impact of coastal sea lice on wild Atlantic salmon survival. This catchment was of interest as it has an automatic PIT detector located within the fish lift associated with a permanent barrage.