In all but one French oyster bed, 40-100% of the young animals have died because they spent too much energy developing their genitalia.
The largest European oyster producer, France's industry was hard-hit by the deaths of much of its young oyster population in all but one bed. Experts say the creatures were using far more of their energy developing their sex organs than defending themselves and most likely fell prey to virii and bacteria.
Ironically, oysters are believed to be a source of virility for men and are widely used as an aphrodisiac.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
No comments:
Post a Comment