North Sea crustacean deaths: Report finds 'no clear single cause'

The report was unable to identify a “clear and convincing single cause” for the deaths and ruled the chances of dredging on the Tees as being a factor as “exceptionally unlikely”

The Crustacean Mortality Expert Panel (CMEP) also backtracked on a February 2022 report into the wash-ups which said the deaths were due to a “naturally occurring harmful algal bloom.”

Read more: How North East sea life has been decimated for the last 12 'apocalyptic' months

Four main factors were considered by the panel, a possible disease, a harmful algal bloom, toxic chemicals including pyridine, and dredging – but all were ruled out as a clear single cause.

The report said: “Overall, the panel was unable to identify a clear and convincing single cause for the unusual crustacean mortality.”

Mass wash-ups of dead crustaceans on the Teesside coast were first reported in October 2021, and have led to growing discontent among the fishing industry.

Some have argued chemicals disturbed by dredging on the Tees riverbed was responsible for the deaths, but this was all but ruled out in today's report.

A report by Defra in February last year suggested an algal bloom was to blame for the deaths, but the new CMEP panel concluded it was “unlikely that a harmful algal bloom toxin caused the unusual crustacean mortality”.

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The same month a report by Tim Deere-Jones suggested that North East crabs had significantly higher levels of Pyridine in their system and argued that it could be due to chemicals released by dredging activity.

But the new report published today said the Pyridine was “very unlikely” as a cause for the wash-ups.

It also said it was “about as likely as not” that a new disease pathogen caused the ‘ununsual’ mortality.

This is a breaking story. More to follow.

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