Whitby fishermen call for answers over shellfish deaths

Fishermen on the Yorkshire coast have held a protest over the mass deaths of shellfish and the threat it poses to their industry.

Thousands of dead crustaceans washed up between Hartlepool and Whitby in late 2021.

Fishermen claim it was linked to the dredging of the River Tees.

A panel of experts said dredging was "unlikely" to be the cause and suggested a new pathogen was responsible.

About 100 people took part in the protest in Whitby on Thursday.

They called for further testing to ascertain the cause of the shellfish deaths and compensation from the government.

Fisherman Andrew Wilson said the impact of the deaths on catches meant he was considering a new job.

"When I look at my bank statements about what's been coming in in the past years, it doesn't compare and it's a shocker really," he said.

The mass die-off of marine life on 40 miles (70km) of coastline from Hartlepool to Whitby saw crustaceans washed ashore between October and December 2021.

Previous research, supported by the fishing industry, had suggested the deaths could have been due to the chemical pyridine, possibly from dredging in the mouth of the River Tees.

However, the panel of 12 experts said in January no definitive cause had been found, but they ruled out pyridine and concluded it was possible a disease or parasite new to UK waters was responsible.

Veteran fisherman Alan Page said he remained sceptical.

"They keep coming out with stupid excuses, which are just unbelievable," he said.

Marion Watson, a Conservative councillor from Scarborough, said the impact had been "devastating" for fishermen and their families.

The Environment Secretary Therese Coffey told MPs earlier this month that finding the cause was "highly unlikely" and added "no further analysis will be undertaken by the government".

She also ruled out compensation and further support, beyond what was already available for the industry.