Mass mortalities of Pacific oysters Crassostrea gigas reflect infectious diseases and vary with farming practices in the Mediterranean Thau lagoon, France

Type Article
Date 2012-06-25
Language English
Author(s) Pernet FabriceORCID1, Barret Jean1, Le Gall Patrik1, Corporeau Charlotte2, Degremont LionelORCID3, Lagarde FranckORCID1, Pepin Jean-Francois3, Keck Nicolas4
Affiliation(s) 1 : IFREMER, Lab Environm Ressource Languedoc Roussillon, F-34203 Sete, France.
2 : IFREMER, UMR LEMAR Technopole Brest Iroise, F-29280 Plouzane, France.
3 : IFREMER, Lab Genet & Pathol, F-17390 La Tremblade, France.
4 : Conseil Gen Herault, Lab Dept Vet, F-34967 Montpellier 2, France.
Source Aquaculture Environment Interactions (1869-215X) (Inter-research), 2012-06-25 , Vol. 2 , N. 3 , P. 215-237
DOI 10.3354/aei00041
WOS© Times Cited 138
Keyword(s) Pacific oyster, Mortality, Disease, Farming practices, Hydrodynamics, Energetic
Abstract Experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of farming sites, seeding date, age of oysters, ploidy level and rearing structures on mortality, pathogens and energetic reserves of oysters Crassostrea gigas. Mortality of oysters coincided with infections involving, primarily, the ostreid herpesvirus OsHV-1 and, secondarily, bacteria of the group Vibrio splendidus, when seawater temperature was between 17 and 24°C. Mortality started in early May and lasted until late September, with an interruption in July and August when seawater temperatures rose above 24°C. Mortality varied with farming site: oysters maintained in the open Mediterranean Sea showed no mortality and OsHV-1 was occasionally detected at a low level only, while oysters maintained in the farming area of the Thau lagoon exhibited mass mortality events concomitantly with outbreaks of OsHV-1. Mortality of oysters maintained in the Thau lagoon but outside the oyster farming area was sporadic and coincided with currents coming from the farming area where mortality was occurring. Mortality of oysters also varied with farming practices. Naïve oysters remained susceptible to pathogen-related mortality pressure during their first 2 yr, whereas oysters that had survived a mass mortality event in the past appeared resistant. Mortalities of diploid (2n) and triploid (3n) oysters were similar during spring but mortalities of 2n oysters were double those of 3n oysters during summer and autumn. Finally, oysters grown in Australian baskets suffered 80% mortality compared with only 30% among oysters cemented onto ropes. The effects of farming practices on mortality are discussed in relation to pathogens and energetic reserves of oysters.
Full Text
File Pages Size Access
Publisher's official version 23 1 MB Open access
Top of the page

How to cite 

Pernet Fabrice, Barret Jean, Le Gall Patrik, Corporeau Charlotte, Degremont Lionel, Lagarde Franck, Pepin Jean-Francois, Keck Nicolas (2012). Mass mortalities of Pacific oysters Crassostrea gigas reflect infectious diseases and vary with farming practices in the Mediterranean Thau lagoon, France. Aquaculture Environment Interactions, 2(3), 215-237. Publisher's official version : https://doi.org/10.3354/aei00041 , Open Access version : https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00086/19739/