Environment Minister Teresa Coffey has rejected MPs’ calls for more analysis to find out what is causing the massive deaths of thousands of crustaceans off the northeast coast.
A study by an independent panel of experts last month found that a new pathogen was the most likely cause of death for hordes of crabs and lobsters in October 2021.
The findings prompted the Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to call on Ms. Coffey to take more tests to learn more about the disease, previously unknown to science.
But in a response released yesterday, Ms. Coffey said she would stop all further investigations into the mass extinction of marine life.
The letter states: “Given the amount of analytical work already done and additional recommendations, I conclude that it is unlikely that we will find a cause and therefore the government will not conduct further analysis.”
Ms Coffey also ruled out any possibility that the government would compensate local fisheries affected by the incident.
In his letter to Tory, Ephra committee chairman Sir Robert Goodwill said further testing was needed to identify the pathogen “given the importance of determining lineage, vectors of transmission, transmissibility, virulence and other related factors.”
He also highlighted comments made by Defra secretary Lord Benyon at the Coastal Futures conference that “we will certainly need more research” in response to the findings.
Ms. Coffey’s decision to stop further investigative work came after continued criticism of the government over its response to the incident.
An initial investigation into the deaths found they were caused by “algae blooms”.
Separate studies by scientists supported by the fishing industry suggested that the incident may have been caused by the industrial pollutant pyridine, possibly from dredging at the mouth of the Tees River to maintain channels for port traffic.
Teesside is home to one of the state-supported free ports, special economic zones that offer tax breaks and reduced tariffs.
There were calls to suspend dredging in the new free port until the situation was fully analyzed.
However, an independent panel of scientists, industry experts chaired by Gideon Henderson, chief scientific adviser for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), found it “highly unlikely” that pyridine or some other toxic substance was the cause. pollutant.
During the mass extinction of crabs along the coast from Hartlepool to Whitby, the dying creatures showed “twitching” and lethargic behavior.
There were heartbreaking scenes of large numbers of dead and dying lobsters and crabs on the beaches, while fishing crews warned that the meager catch off the coast after the event was “catastrophic” to their livelihoods.
Source: I News
I’m Sandra Hansen, a news website Author and Reporter for 24 News Reporters. I have over 7 years of experience in the journalism field, with an extensive background in politics and political science. My passion is to tell stories that are important to people around the globe and to engage readers with compelling content.