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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Nicola Davis Science correspondent

Mystery of English crab and lobster die-offs deepens as experts find no clear cause

Hundreds of dead crabs on the beach at Seaton Carew, Hartlepool.
Hundreds of dead crabs on the beach at Seaton Carew, Hartlepool. Photograph: Paul Grainger/PA

The mystery behind the deaths of thousands of crabs and lobsters along England’s north-east coast has developed a further twist, with experts saying it could be down to a new disease.

The die-offs, which began in autumn 2021 and recurred at various points in 2022, affected at least 70km (43 miles) of the coastline, with some of the crustaceans showing an unusual twitching while dying.

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