A team of scientists is trying to find out what has been killing thousands of crabs and lobsters on England’s north-east coast since October 2021. A government report was released on Friday saying they could not pinpoint the specific cause of the phenomenon, according to Rador.

Experts say it is “highly unlikely” that one of the causes was, as has been suggested, contamination from pyridine, a substance used in the dredging of the River Tees estuary, which has significant industrial traffic.

Nor do I find convincing evidence that a new pathogen or parasite is responsible for this phenomenon. Despite this, experts note that a “full molecular study” has not yet been conducted.

They also noted that this hypothesis would “explain the main observations” of shellfish mortality along 70 kilometers of coastline over nearly two years. For now, I rule out that the problem is related to harmful algae or loss of oxygen in the water.

The Teesside region is one of the so-called “free ports” created by the British executive to stimulate the economy of the country’s poor industrial areas with tax breaks and reduced trade tariffs.

Fishermen in the area say they have been hit hard as their crab and lobster catches have dropped by 80-95% in recent times.