Deaths of thousands of shellfish possibly down to new disease
An independent investigation into the deaths of thousands of crabs and lobsters off the North Yorkshire coast rulied out pollutants and algae
Last updated 20th Jan 2023
An independent investigation into the deaths of thousands of shellfish off the North Yorkshire Coast has found a new disease or parasite may have been the cause.
It was carried out after a row between fishermen and the government, with original reports putting it down to "algal blooms".
But some in the fishing industry- who say it significantly damaged their trade- claimed it was linked to dredging in the River Tees.
Research by academics, backed by the fishing industry, suggested the incident could have been caused by industrial pollutant pyridine, possibly from dredging in the mouth of the River Tees to maintain channels for port traffic.
However, the panel, made up of academics, industry experts, and chaired by Defra's chief scientific adviser, concluded on Friday that it was "about as likely as not" that a pathogen new to UK waters - a potential disease or parasite - caused the crab deaths.
The panel also found that it was "very unlikely" that the cause was pyridine or another toxic pollutant.
A fresh report has now found it may have been down to a new disease or parasite, but says it cannot be "definitive".
It ruled out dredging in the River Tees, which it says started months before the deaths, and algal blooms and toxic pollutants.
Sir Patrick Vallance, Government Chief Scientific Adviser, said: "Whilst with the current data there cannot be a definitive answer, the options for possible causes and an analyses of likelihood are clearly laid out in the report."