All along the French coast, juvenile oysters are dying in large numbers.

The situation is worrisome because: mortality rates are high, in some areas approaching 100%; the problem struck the whole French coast at once, instead of following a usual south-to-north progression; and no one pathogen seems to be responsible.

The English and American press has picked up the story. The problem is not immediate—although I’ve always followed a saying that you should eat oysters only in months spelled with the letter “r”—but will cause shortages in 2009-2010 and 2010-2011.

What’s going on? It’s too early to tell. Predictibly, the French oyster industry called on the government for help. Predictibly, the government called for action and asked researchers at Ifremer to look into the problem.

Has something like this ever happened before? Yes. In the Marennes-Oléron basin in the 1970s, the stock of the Portuguese oyster (Crassostrea angulata) was decimated by a virus and replaced by Japanese oyster (Crassostrea gigas) stock. This also recalls earlier calamities, such as the phylloxera epidemic that decimated French vineyards.

What’s remarkable here is the extent to which the French oyster industry seems to place its hopes in a quick fix.