Young French oysters have fallen prey to a killer virus because they have used up too much energy developing their sex organs.

An expert team has been trying to find out why oysters have been decimated in all but one of France’s coastal beds, dealing a severe blow to the industry.

A warm winter and wet spring left the young oysters especially vulnerable to Oyster Herpesvirus type 1, they say. They matured too fast, feeding on abundant plankton, the scientists say.

An expert from the Ifremer institute, Tristan Renault, told the French news agency AFP that “the animal has been using up a lot of energy developing its genitalia and using a lot less to defend itself“.

Oyster farms hope to recover some of their stock by getting the uninfected survivors to breed.

Too horny can be a problem. Even if you’re not an oyster in puberty.