Tag Archives: Whitby fisherman Adrian Noble

Angry fishermen stage protest at Tees dredging plans including one who’s lost all his crew

Fishermen from Hartlepool, Redcar and Whitby who have seen their livelihoods “decimated” by the shellfish die-offs along the North-east coast joined the rally. Fishermen fear chemicals released by dredging work to develop the Teesside freeport are to blame for the die-offs. Joe Redfern, a fisherman and founder of Whitby’s lobster hatchery, said: “The freeport is a massive government agenda. We are all for the jobs and regeneration and want to see this part of the world flourish and prosper. “But if you are going to do a big dredging operation in the most toxic river in the whole country, take the sediment to landfill. Don’t dump it in the sea. >click to read< 13:06

Special Report: A sealife mystery is tearing a community apart – authorities have stopped looking for answers

Wave upon wave of dead lobsters and crabs have littered the shores of the northeast coast over the past nine months, but the official explanation doesn’t stack up. On the Olivia Rose, Noble works with fellow fishermen Jonathan Parkin and George Lamplough to lift a clutch of lobster pots. Noble draws up the line and flings the pots to Parkin, who catches them before drawing out any catch and tossing old bait to the delight of clamouring gulls. He restocks and closes the pots with the help of Lamplough, who then stows them on deck. The stack is then released back into the hunting ground for the coming days. Fatigue and stress line Noble’s face. The weekly fuel bill of £800 has doubled in the past year and costs are drowning out profits. For most fisherman, their job is indivisible from their identity and heritage: “This is my life”, says Noble. Photos, >click to read< 18:33

More dead crabs and lobsters along North East coast

The government is investigating after new reports of dead crabs and lobsters along the North East coast. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is to “undertake additional sampling” after fishermen reported further deaths. It said it had now received reports of “further dead or dying lobsters and crabs found in a small number of pots along the North East coast” and that it would be taking samples in the area to investigate. Adrian Noble, a Whitby fisherman of more than 40 years, said he believed there was “not a chance in the world” the deaths were caused by a naturally-occurring algae, adding the industry has been “decimated”. >click to read< 10:14