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Oysters getting cooked by climate change

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Oyster farmers in the Pacific Northwest and California, who face a shortage of ‘spat’ to replant their oysters beds, aren’t the only ones struggling with growing the succulent shellfish in a warmer world.

News reports from Europe reveal that shellfish farmers in France are facing their worst crisis in 40 years as stocks of oysters are perishing from a mystery ailment. Scientists haven’t figured out the culprit, but they believe that elevated sea temperatures are rendering oysters more vulnerable to disease.

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Oyster farmers in France, like those in California, have switched to a heartier Pacific oyster that originally comes from Japan. Yet even the best science is struggling to keep pace with ecological changes in coastal waters around the globe.

-- Kenneth R. Weiss

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