Shellfish die-off 'catastrophic' for communities

The mass-deaths of shellfish off the Teesside and North Yorkshire coast in 2021 has had a "catastrophic" impact on the mental health of the fishing community, a report has found.

Thousands of crustaceans washed up dead along the area's beaches and a working group made up of councillors from across the region said the incident had affected fishers' livelihoods, as well as local tourism.

No definitive cause for the die-off has been found but the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said it was likely to be due to naturally occurring harmful algae.

The situation had an "extremely negative" impact on communities, a meeting on Friday heard.

The aftermath of the event was a "fight for survival" for the districts' ecosystem and communities, said the report by a working group made up of councillors from Redcar and Cleveland, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton councils.

"Clearly, the impact on fishing communities has been catastrophic in certain areas," it said.

"Most areas along the coast in both directions from the Tees Mouth have experienced a fall-off in catch, the marine environment has been adversely affected in certain areas, and the number of vessels involved in inshore fishing has significantly diminished."

Meanwhile, a senior environmental officer said the lobster population was recovering, though it was "not back to where it was".

The crab population is "still a long way from that," the officer told a council meeting.

Members suggested the creation of a hatchery to restore crab populations in the area should be explored.

In 2023, North Yorkshire Council supported calls for a public inquiry into the crustacean die-offs and a public inquiry was formally requested by the working group in July 2024.

However, Defra advised that an inquiry was unlikely to provide substantial new insights due to the length of time since the initial incident.

At the meeting, a council environmental officer said there had been "clearly no appetite" in Government for a public inquiry.

The working group called for financial support for the affected fishers and a reduction of red tape to help improve responses to future events, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

North Yorkshire councillor Phil Trumper said: "Other areas, such as farming, get financial support and we should be pushing the Government on that."

One of the recommendations of the final report, which was also put forward to North Yorkshire Council's executive committee, proposed "financial support for ventures that might aid the recovery of marine ecosystems".

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