Fishing group has logged 100 alleged incidents linked to sealife die-offs
THE North East Fishing Collective (NEFC) has listed more than 100 alleged incidents linked to marine life die-offs as the group continues to “fight for the truth.”
Since October 2021, fishermen have been battling for the region’s ecosystem after swathes of dead crabs, lobsters, and shellfish washed up on beaches.
Environmentalists and fishermen fought for answers, with the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) eventually launching a probe.
While the initial Defra report said an algal bloom was the most likely cause of the deaths, further investigations found a “novel pathogen” was most likely to blame.
Independent marine and university experts, as well as the fishermen, believed dredging on the Tees unearthed historical toxins leading to the mass die-off – but this has also been ruled out by the authorities.
Just last week, North Yorkshire Council backed calls for a public inquiry and a dedicated government task force into the mass marine die-offs, with council leader Cllr Carl Les saying the fishing industry is “vital” to local people’s lives.
He asked the government for assistance with compensating those affected.
Many still continue to dispute the findings of the Defra report and want a further investigation, as the report stated there could not be a definitive answer with the current data.
Stan Rennie, a fisherman and spokesman for the NEFC, welcomed the news of the council backing a public inquiry, stating that industry and environmental experts have been working together and “fighting for the future survival of the North East ecosystem, trying to survive as fisherfolk and fighting for justice.”
He said: “The severe demise of the marine ecosystem, the local catches of the inshore fleets, and the local fishing fleets lost, forever, with over half the Hartlepool potting fleet gone to the wall, for sale or sold, and now one-third of the Hartlepool prawning fleet for sale or sold, alone, from one port!
“Never mind the other ports affected, Redcar to Whitby and beyond, sacrificed die-off zone up to 12 miles offshore!”
Stan said the NEFC was looking forward to multi-council investigations meetings – due to be held with councillors from Middlesbrough Council, Hartlepool Council, and Redcar and Cleveland Council – to “further consider the evidence” relating to the mass die-offs.
The list of over 100 alleged incidents has been compiled from reports from the NEFC, the North Eastern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority, fishermen, and members of the public since the initial reports of die-offs back in 2021.
This table – which you can see on our website Teesside Live at bit. ly/3qejEhB – was put together by Stan’s daughter Sarah, who is the acting secretary.
The log contains a variety of different reported “incidents” from small-scale wash-ups to largerscale ones.
It also includes information reported by fishermen in relation to catches, as well as concerns raised by merchants.
The Environment Agency has said recently that the reported washing up of hundreds of starfish on Teesside beaches were natural events and normal for this time of year.
They added: “Creatures like mussels, starfish, crabs and razor clams occupy rocky habitats and unfortunately can be easily dislodged during unsettled weather, onshore winds or spring tides, causing them to be washed ashore.”
A Defra spokesperson said: “We understand that fishing communities in the North East wanted as thorough an assessment as possible into the crab and lobster deaths, which is why an independent panel of leading marine scientists was convened in late 2022 to provide an objective and full assessment of all available evidence about the causes of the mortality.
“The panel could not identify a clear cause for the unusual mortality but suggested a novel pathogen as the most likely cause.
“The report includes a full assessment of the possible role of dredging, and concluded that maintenance dredging was ‘very unlikely’ to be the cause of the crab mortality, and capital dredging ‘exceptionally unlikely’ to be the cause.”
The Tees Valley Combined Authority said it had nothing further to add from a statement released following the publication of the crustacean death report.
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said at the time that “having read the report produced by Sir Patrick Vallance’s independent panel of marine experts it is clear that neither dredging, nor any work carried out by the Freeport, played a role in the crustacean deaths that occurred in October 2021.”
The mayor also called for Government support for the fishing industry.