Tag Archives: ruled out chemical pollution

Biologist’s concern as lobster eggs ‘turn to slime’ off Yorkshire coast

Joe Redfern, manager of Whitby Lobster Hatchery, said stress may have caused the lobsters to release eggs prematurely but “but nobody seems to really have a definite answer”. “It’s not something I’ve seen before. It’s not like anything any of the fishermen have seen before, which is concerning,” he said. Samples have been sent to the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture for analysis, after the eggs were found in Whitby and Hartlepool. It comes almost a year after dead lobsters and crabs began washing ashore in Yorkshire and the North East, but Mr Redfern said he does not want to jump to conclusions and claim there is any link to the mass die off until the analysis has been completed.  >click to read< 10:27

‘On its knees’ – Public meeting to look at how to support Hartlepool’s fishing industry

Councillors unanimously backed the move at the latest Hartlepool full council meeting, pledging to do all they can to support the sector after the mass deaths of crabs and lobsters in the area. The motion was raised by Labour’s Cllr Rachel Creevy, who highlighted how the region’s fishing industry has been decimated since the issue first occurred in autumn 2021. A Hartlepool fisherman invited to speak at the meeting said the industry is “part of their heritage” and their “lifetime’s work”. But they are now “desperate” with the “ecosystem wiped out”. >click to read< 10:55

Troubled waters: the forces behind the death of the Tees

The Tees Estuary is dying. Its demise the result of widespread contamination on the one hand, and a wilful mishandling of information on the other. There was mass crustacean die-off in September/October 2021, and there has been a resurgence of this in recent weeks. We have also received numerous reports of deaths of seal pups as well as porpoise. Those seal pups that have survived are seriously underweight. Dead crab and lobster have been washing up on beaches again.  Razor clams that inhabit the shallow waters of estuary beaches are also reported to be affected. And the official response to these sobering facts currently appears to be a mixture of indifference, belligerence and denial. >click to read< 08:11

Dead seals turn up on North East beaches as dead crab mystery continues

It has been almost four months since reports first emerged of scores of crabs, lobsters and even octopuses being found dead on beaches stretching from Whitby to Hartlepool. Yet the investigating authorities appear to be no closer to identifying the cause despite extensive laboratory tests and studies. In recent weeks, dead seals have begun washing up on the region’s beaches though it is unclear whether this is linked to the crustacean wipeout in October. >click to read< 10:21

Dead crabs probe: Tees marine expert ‘99.9% sure dredging unearthing historical toxins to blame

A Teesside marine expert who has been following the probe into why piles of dead crustaceans washed up on Teesside’s beaches remains ‘99.9% sure’ dredging is to blame. David McCreadie, a retired senior lecturer in marine biology and oceanography, says he spotted a vessel dredging off Teesmouth at the end of September and then started to find dead lobsters and crabs on the South Gare near Redcar. The investigating authorities have already ruled out dredging,,, >click to read< 08:19