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An independent expert panel has today (20 January) published its findings into the loss of marine life off the North East and Yorkshire coast. It follows a series of mass mortalities of crabs and lobsters that were recorded along the Northeast and North Yorkshire coasts during the autumn and winter of 2021.

Overall, the panel was unable to identify a clear and convincing single cause for the unusual crustacean mortality. It concludes that "a novel pathogen is considered the most likely cause of mortality (despite the lack of direct evidence of such a pathogen), because it would explain these key observations."

Disputing the conclusion

The panel was convened following scientific evidence presented by Dr. Gary Caldwell, Senior Lecturer in Applied Marine Biology, to the EFRA Select Committee. Led by Dr. Caldwell, early research in the lab revealed high levels of pyridine, a chemical with a long history of release into the River Tees, in the tissues of the dead crabs.

In this research, edible crabs (Cancer pagurus) were exposed to a range of pyridine solutions, while their behavior, indicators of cellular stress, and survival over periods of up to three days were recorded. At the upper range of tested concentration which was comfortably within the pyridine levels found in the dead crabs, pyridine caused convulsive behaviors, paralysis and death within six hours. The onset of paralysis took longer as the pyridine concentrations were lowered, but mortalities remained high even at lower concentrations.

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