A definite cause of the deaths of thousands of crabs on north-east beaches cannot be given, an independent panel has said. Thousands of dead and dying crustaceans were found piled high along beaches along the north-east coast of England during a three month period.
Research by academics, backed by the fishing industry, suggested the incident could have been caused by industrial pollutant pyridine, possibly from dredging in the mouth of the River Tees to maintain channels for port traffic. However this has now been deemed “exceptionally unlikely”.
And while the panel said it was impossible to give a definitive answer using current data, it concluded on Friday that it was “about as likely as not” that a pathogen new to UK waters – a potential disease or parasite – caused the crab deaths. .
