Farmer monitoring reveals the effect of tidal height on mortality risk of oysters during a herpesvirus outbreak

Abstract

Abstract The intertidal zone is characterized by a sharp vertical gradient of environmental stress, which structures species distribution and their interactions. Few studies, however, have examined the influence of tidal height on host–pathogen interactions. Here, we investigated how the tidal height influence outbreak of the Ostreid herpesvirus type 1 (OsHV-1) affecting the Pacific oyster. A volunteer network composed of 20 oyster growers monitored the survival of 28 batches of oysters during an epizootic event in Southern Brittany, France. Oysters were spat from wild collection or hatchery production. The sampling sites were spread over a 150-km2 area with a tidal height ranging from 0.98 to 2.90 m. Concomitantly, we followed survival of oyster spats in relation with OsHV-1 DNA detection at two sites and conducted risk analysis. We found that tidal height was associated with a lower risk of mortality. This effect was higher for hatchery than for wild oysters probably reflecting differences in health status. Our study opens perspectives for mitigation strategies based on tidal height and emphasizes the value of volunteer science in marine epidemiological studies.