A mysterious cause of the “horrific” mass crab deaths linked to Freeport has been revealed

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A government report has concluded that a mysterious pathogen may be the cause of a mass death of marine life off the coast of north-east England that has lasted for more than a year.

Experts say a new microorganism in UK waters, such as a disease-causing parasite, may be to blame.

In October 2021, carcasses of crabs, lobsters, lugworms and razor clams began littering beaches for 80 kilometers (50 miles), from Hartlepool to Whitby and Scarborough.

Some crustaceans were seen to shiver – an unusual phenomenon when creatures are being washed – and many showed lethargic behaviour.

The mass deaths, first revealed by The Independent, have resulted in seal pups washing ashore emaciated and unable to feed on crustaceans.

Environmental activists, scientists, fishermen and divers, concerned about the catastrophe that threatened the creatures as well as their livelihoods, suspect toxins associated with dredging and lifting sand and sediment from the sea floor are to blame.

They blamed the work to expand the government’s main free port on Teesside, saying it had stirred up chemicals lurking on the sea floor. Research by the academics, supported by the fishing industry, has indicated that the cause may be the industrial pollutant pyridine.

Former MP Anna Turley described the scenes on the beaches as “horrific”.

The creatures continued to die until December 2021, and more deaths were spotted again in May last year.

But now an expert panel says it is “exceptionally unlikely” that the mass deaths were caused by cliffhangers.

Sustained release of very large quantities of the chemical is considered highly unlikely

Independent expert assessment of unusual crustacean mortality

The panel, which was set up in December and includes academics and industry experts, concluded that it was “likely but not” that a new pathogen in UK waters – a potential disease or parasite – could cause the lobster’s death.

The working group, chaired by Gideon Henderson, chief scientific adviser at the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, also found that it was “very unlikely” that the cause was pyridine or another contaminant.

The report says: “Overall, the Commission was unable to identify a single clear and convincing cause for the unusual mortality of crustaceans…

“The new pathogen is considered the most likely cause of death (although there is no direct evidence of this pathogen).”

She says algal blooms explain the wide distribution of deaths but are unlikely to explain the stinging or long duration.

The report states that “the presence of a toxin could explain the tingling, but the source of a sufficient amount of any toxin could not be determined.”

“Although a group of chemicals, including pyridine, are known to be toxic to crustaceans, the wide geographic spread and long duration of the event would require sustained release of very large amounts of the chemical, which is considered very unlikely from stationary sources or due to dredging as a cause.” .

Ben Houchin, the elected mayor of Tees Valley, said the report made it clear that working in a free port should not be blamed.

He added that a natural disaster destroyed the fishing industry. “It is now imperative that the government steps in and supports them to recover from the events of October 2021.”

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