France’s shellfish industry is dealing with a crisis for the second year in a row, as an unexplained ailment has decimated stocks of young oysters, AFP reported.
French oyster farmers saw between 40 and 100 percent of their baby oysters wiped out in 2008, which is considered much higher than usual during summer harvests.
The virus OsHV-1 (Ostreid herpesvirus 1), which is associated with bacteria and flourishes in warmer weather, is the likely culprit, according to scientists at Ifremer, the French institute for the exploitation of the sea.
French oyster farmers saw between 40 and 100 percent of their baby oysters wiped out in 2008, which is considered much higher than usual during summer harvests.
The virus OsHV-1 (Ostreid herpesvirus 1), which is associated with bacteria and flourishes in warmer weather, is the likely culprit, according to scientists at Ifremer, the French institute for the exploitation of the sea.
