Tag Archives: Government department Defra
Yorkshire crab and lobster deaths: Government closes investigation for second time
The North Sea around the Tees Estuary has been affected by the issue as far south as Staithes and Whitby since last autumn, when large numbers of dead crustaceans washed up on beaches. An investigation was launched and after causes such as pollution, disease and undersea cable disturbance were ruled out, it was eventually announced that toxic algae was responsible. Yet fishermen are still reporting poor catches,,, >click to read< 11:29
Government agrees to re-investigate dead crab and lobster after fishermen conduct their own probe
Earlier this month DEFRA announced that after extensive testing following the first reports of mass crab and lobster deaths around the Tees Estuary last autumn, they had traced the cause to toxic algae which had been dispersed naturally by a storm in October. A fishermen’s union called the North East Commercial Fishing Collective, which includes members of the Whitby Fishermen’s Association, had refused to accept the investigation’s outcome and crowdfunded a £5,000 fee to hire marine pollution consultant Tim Deere-Jones to independently analyse samples. >click to read< 08:46
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
Fishermen blast ‘algal bloom’ crab death finding as ‘utter rubbish’ as marine expert blames ‘chemical’
A marine expert has disputed the findings of a government report into what caused mass crab and lobster deaths along the Teesside coast. Government department Defra blamed the strange occurrence on algal bloom following a four-month investigation and extensive testing. But Tim Deere-Jones, an independent marine pollution consultant, says the cause is linked to a specific chemical called pyridine, quantities of which he says were more than 70 times higher in some crab samples taken from Saltburn and Seaton. >click to read< 09:46
