River Roach herpes outbreak could wipe out Essex oysters

An outbreak of herpes which could wipe out Essex oysters has been found in the River Roach near Rochford.The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) has confirmed that the virus has been discovered in molluscs in the river, which is connected to the river Crouch.An outbreak of the virus in Whitstable, Kent, in 2010 is estimated to have killed over eight million oysters. Oyster herpes occurs only in Pacific oysters when water temperatures rise higher than 16C (61F).The...