AN explosive letter of no confidence has been sent to the North Eastern Inshore and Fishing Conservation Authority (NEIFCA) overs its inaction after thousands of dead crustaceans washed up on the region’s shoreline.
The letter has been signed by fishing and angling associations the length of the coast from Bridlington to Hartlepool and calls for the immediate resignation of NEIFCA’s Chief David McCandless and Deputy Chief, Ian Davis.
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The fishing associations are united in their anger at NEIFCA’S apparent lack of investigations into the phenomena in October which saw scores of dead crabs and lobsters litter beaches in North Yorkshire and Teesside.
The scenes on North East beaches in October were described as 'apocalyptic'
The wipeout has had a crushing impact on fishermen in the region and according to the eight groups who have signed the letter, NEIFCA has failed to provide any results or data from any investigations they have conducted into the crustacea wash-up.
And at an online association meeting held in December to discuss the issue, neither Mr McCandless nor Mr Davis attended, sending a representative instead.
At the meeting, it was concluded that a vital step in understanding the impact of the incident was to undertake population analysis of the impacted areas and it was agreed that as the local agency, NEIFCA would conduct the research.
However, the letter states: “Over two months after this meeting, and by NEIFCA’s own admission, no action has been taken to investigate impacted populations.
“During this time CEFAS (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science) has made frequent appeals for samples of crustaceans along with information on stock assessments from the fishing industry.
“NEIFCA has failed to conduct even the most basic population impact assessment nor to provide CEFAS with recent crustacea samples or data.”
The letter also slams what the fishing groups believe has been a ‘flippant’ reaction to the situation by NEIFCA’s leaders.
Limpets were also affected by the event in October which devastated lobster and crab populations
It states: “The recent disastrous events along our coastline have put our livelihoods, our communities, and the future of our industry at stake.
“At such a time of crisis we needed and expected urgency, direction, and transparency from NEIFCA.
“Proactive and effective investigation and support for the industry is paramount to responding to such crises.
“Not only did David McCandless and Ian Davies fail to act proactively with any urgency, nor with any transparency, but their actions displayed an outright disregard and flippancy to the severity of the event, a disregard to questions and requests on the matter that were posed directly to them, and a disregard for the concerns of the communities and natural environments of the East coast they are employed and paid to serve and protect.”
Read more: Frustrated fishermen demand answers over dead crabs and lobsters on region's coast
The fishing groups call on NEIFCA, which is taxpayer-funded and has a budget of more than £1million, to undertake an independent review of its management and ensure that if the chief and deputy do resign, their replacements are transparent and committed to representing the local fishing industry.
The letter concludes: “A dramatic lack of representation nor engagement with local communities have stagnated NEIFCA which operates without initiative or intuition.
“We demand better for our environment, better for our livelihoods and better for our communities.”
NEIFCA has been contacted by The Northern Echo for a response to the letter of no confidence.
Defra continues to lead the investigations into what happened to the crustaceans and has ruled out poisoning and activities associated with dredging as being the cause of the deaths.
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