The committee will look at the impact of dredging around a freeport development on Teesside and the presence of pyridine, a chemical pollutant, among other possible causes, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said. Mark Spencer, the Fisheries Minister, said on Tuesday: “I recognize that the fishing communities in the North East want as thorough an assessment as possible of the crab and lobster kills last year. “Defra’s investigation concluded that the most likely cause was an algal bloom, but we have always recognized that this is a complex area of science and we remain open to further investigation.” Earlier this month, the chairman of the House of Commons environment select committee called for an urgent inquiry into whether dredging had caused the deaths. However, Defra stopped short of complying with Sir Robert Goodwill’s request to minimize dredging during the investigation. “The expert panel’s views will guide consideration of further action,” Spencer said in a letter to Goodwill. A multi-agency investigation coordinated by Defra in February 2022 blamed the outbreaks on natural algal blooms and dismissed concerns that toxic sediment brought up by the River Tees and dumped into the sea could be to blame. But an independent expert commissioned by the North East Fishing Collective found evidence linking the deaths to pyridine. Fishermen and residents of coastal communities near the Tees first pointed out the failures in the autumn of last year. In February, anglers from Hartlepool to Scarborough reported their catch was a tenth of what they would normally expect. Sally Bunce, marine mammal rescuer and member of the Reclaim Our Seas group, said: “The most important thing for me and all the fishermen is that the current dredging has stopped. Creating a panel can take a year. Just last week, I had a meeting with fishermen from Whitby and they told me that out of 200 pots, they only brought in 18 lobsters and no crabs. Anglers in Hartlepool are still catching nothing.’ Spencer said Gideon Henderson, Defra’s chief scientific adviser, would liaise with Sir Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser, about setting up the group. It will look at the findings of previous Defra research as well as research from university researchers and the wider scientific literature, he said. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Henderson said: “The death of large numbers of crustaceans last year in the north-east of England was unusual. The causes have been evaluated, informed by a wide range of metrics, by government agencies and by university researchers, with more than one explanation to explain the deaths.” The development of the port in Europe’s largest brownfield site is expected to create up to 18,000 new jobs in the region.
