Fishermen have described how their catches dried up ‘overnight’ and their businesses taken to the brink of collapse, after thousands of dead crabs and lobsters were washed up on beaches along the North East of England.
An investigation is under way by the Environment Agency after dead shellfish – in some cases waist deep – began appearing along the Teesside coast between Marske and Saltburn, North Yorkshire, in Seaton Carew, Hartlepool, and Seaham, last autumn.
Lab analysis can be used to test for contaminants in the water and also analyze dead marine organisms for disease or parasites.
Now fishing boat operators have spoken out about how finding dead sea creatures had ‘absolutely decimated their businesses.
Ken Clarke, aged 57, has been fishing lobsters and crabs from South Gare over the last 40 years. His father was also a fisherman. He said that for three months he didn’t have a salary.
Paul Harrison (pictured), owner of the Catch of the Day store in Middlesbrough said that there weren’t many lobsters on the coast right now.
Teesside fisherman claim their catches are now dry after they were contaminated with dead lobsters, crabs and other debris washed up at beaches across the North East of England.
After dead lobsters and crabs were washed up on the Teesside coast, between Saltburn and Marske, North Yorkshire, an investigation has begun. Pictured: Piles of dead crabs and sea creatures on a beach between Saltburn and Markse
Teeside Live was told by him that it stopped over night. It was almost like someone had flicked a switch.
“I’ve not had a paycheck in three months.” It is being investigated by many people. This seems odd, one would assume that if something is there, they’d find it.
“I have been to many meetings and nobody can put their finger on it.” It seems that the problem is spreading along the coast to Scarborough.
Mr Clarke said he fished before Christmas and got just ‘three or four lobsters’ after a full day’s work.
He added, “It is just not possible. My crew was forced to go. Crews can’t be kept if they don’t get paid. This can make you feel like you’re losing your mind.
“The larger boats out at sea catch more fish than the smaller ones. It’s exhausting if it is your sole job.
«We had a great time hammering together [Storm Arwen]Gear also suffered severe damage, and all of it was washed ashore.
I’m not sure if the virus has killed off all of them. To see if the lobsters come out, we have to wait for July and August.
“I don’t think there is anything else.” This is what I know from fishing.
“You have periods of quiet, but nothing that can cause death overnight.”
Paul Harrison of Middlesbrough’s Catch of the Day fish market said, “Along this coast, there’s barely any lobsters right now. And for the ones you can, the prices are ridiculous.”
Pictured: Hundreds of dead and dying crabs along the shore between Saltburn and Markse
Dead crabs and other sea creatures werehed up on the beaches between Saltburn & Markse
Last year there were hundreds of dead crabs along the shore at Seaton Carew in Hartlepool
“I work with two suppliers. He’s a jackass, and he wants to sell his boat since there is nothing else.
“Another man went all day looking for three lobsters. There’s nothing in their pots. It’s terrible, heartbreaking.
They are so angry about this whole thing. It is quite common for me to sell lobsters or crabs. The catch was done by the fishermen, who then came in to see me.
“I can’t get them locally. I need to travel further every day.
People have their theories and it appears that the trend is heading down. This is a huge knock-on effect that has absolutely destroyed everything.
“I have known lads who had traps on the Tees and at the Barrage. It was all gone.
Meanwhile Dave Eland, 74, who has been fishing near the former steelworks in Redcar for 60 years, said he saw crabs ‘dying in their hundreds’.
He was the one who reported the dead crabs first to the Environment Agency. He said, “We catch bait down there.” Nearly every day, I am down there with my boy.
The ‘Crabs died in the hundreds, even thousands. The fact that the crabs died so soon after being discovered by the dredger seems like a strange coincidence. There are 380 traps.
“Our traps were turfing dead crabs, dozens upon dozens.” Only two of the crabs were alive, and all were dead. It was a 98% wipeout. Three pots are down there.
“Last check, they had two lobsters inside – one dead and the other alive as a dodo. It’s been my favorite place since childhood.
The area had been deemed dead about 30 to 40 years before the clean up. However, after that cleanup, worms began returning. For years, it was absolutely flourishing.
Pictured: Redcar, Yorkshire Coast. Dead crabs were spotted on the coast.
“Now it is virtually gone.”
Some locals have said they are worried dredging work on the Tees could have played a part but Defra has dismissed the theory as ‘speculation’.
While investigations are ongoing, the department has “ruled out” both chemical pollutants and dredging as possible causes.
James Cole, 52, leader of The Fisherman Association, told Yorkshire Live the problem is working its way south.
“Fishermen also saw other dead animals come ashore, including octopuses or limpets that had fallen off the rocks. It would have to be a nuclear accident for them to do so,” he stated.
Mr Cole also claims to have spoken to a fisherman in his 20s from Hartlepool who had been living off £100 wages for the last two months after his fishing business was ruined from the lack of sea creatures to fish.
He continued, “He told me he was going to suicide. He phoned me and said that my job and life were in danger.
A number of dog-walkers claimed that their dogs fell ill after a stroll on Orcombe Point, near Exmouth.