Councils’ report recommends enhanced environmental monitoring – and support for affected fishermen

Local councils in the area of North East England affected by the shellfish die-offs that began in 2021 have issued their report on the impacts and the lessons to be learned.

Fishermen blamed the die-off of crabs, lobsters and other marine life on contaminated spoil from dredging in connection with the Teesside Freeport project being dumped off the Tees estuary. They formed the North East Fishing Collective (NEFC) in December 2021 to give the fishing industry a voice.

But a panel of 13 experts from academia and industry commissioned by Defra to examine all the evidence concluded that it was ‘about as likely as not that a pathogen new to UK waters – a potential disease or parasite’ caused the crustacean mortality.

Redcar and Cleveland, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire and Stockton councils closely followed the die-offs and the accompanying investigations, and the Crustacean Deaths Working Group of councillors was set up.

The working group formally requested a public inquiry into the die-offs in 2024, but Defra said this was unlikely to provide substantial new insights due to the length of time since the initial incident.

The group has produced a 141-page report on the events, which was discussed at a meeting of the councils on 14 July.

It took evidence from a wide range of stakeholders, including representatives from the fishing community, government agencies, academics and environmental groups.

Its final report makes recommendations based on this information, including improvements to environmental monitoring, support for the fishing industry and enhanced collaboration among stakeholders.

It emphasises the need for more robust and transparent governance for managing the marine environment, and stresses the importance of continued vigilance and proactive measures to protect the marine environment and support local communities.

The working group is to write to government agencies requesting that the ocean environment in the region is monitored to assess recovery.

The report says that although no firm conclusions have been drawn on the reasons for the die-off, the working group identified ‘a real requirement for local authorities to be better advised of maritime matters where land boundaries border coastal or river environments’.

Having delivered its report, the working group will not be continuing under its existing remit.

The full report can be seen here.

Tees Dredging: MMO ‘should review dredging standards’

A central focus during the die-offs was the dumping of allegedly contaminated spoil off the Tees esturary, dredged during work on the Tees Freeport. The Tees region has a history of heavy industry and chemicals works, and studies showed high levels of pollution both on land and in the Tees sediments.

The MMO, which licenses dredging, said during the die-off period that its monitoring of dredging and the regulations complied with international standards.

The councils’ report calls on the MMO to review its current standards, ‘especially in areas affected by legacy contaminants’.

“The frequency of testing did not appear to be stringent enough in environments where historic contamination has been identified,” it says.

Sites where dredged material can be deposited are different for maintenance dredging (as required to keep the port open) and capital dredging (work to expand the port). “Both permitted distances should be re-evaluated where historic levels of pollution have been highlighted and where current bed core sampling suggests potential pollutants,” it says.

It also says ‘strong consideration’ should be given to ensuring dredged material from capital dredging can be deposited ashore.

The Defra-appointed panel of experts said it was ‘very unlikely’ that maintenance dredging was the cause of the die-offs. It was also ‘exceptionally unlikely’ that capital dredging was the cause. Capital dredging was last carried out in December 2020, some time before deaths started in October 2021, and did not start again until September 2022.

Livelihoods ‘permanently altered’

The impact on fishing communities has been ‘catastrophic’ in certain areas, says the report.

Most areas along the coast in both directions from the Tees have experienced a fall-off in catch, and the marine environment has been adversely affected from Seaham in Co Durham to Filey in North Yorkshire.

“The number of vessels involved in inshore fishing has significantly diminished, and livelihoods of many have been permanently altered,” says the report.

While lobster stocks have shown some signs of recovery, crab has shown little improvement.

The report outlines some of the financial impacts of the mass die-off, particularly in relation to the fishing community, and suggests measures to support the recovery of the local industry.

“Lots of boats have been lost to the local ports due to the die-offs, and owners, skippers and crew have lost investments, life plans, jobs, their futures and their way to provide for their families,” it says.

The NEFC believes that the government should recognise the struggles of the fishing communities and look at compensation across the board, with equal payments irrespective of turnover.

Crew compensation and boat decommissioning should be offered to affected NEFC members, it says, including the small number prawning close to the die-off zone, and the full potting fleet, who have no choice but to fish there. This would allow fishermen who are struggling to get out without finding a buyer, or losing investments.

‘We’ve had no help whatsoever’

Whitby fisherman James Cole, chair of Whitby Commercial Fishermen’s Association and a leading voice in the NEFC, said he was aware of the councils’ report but didn’t think it would make any difference to fishermen and fishing communities.

He said that despite everything that had happened, theinshoreindustryinthe region had been given ‘no help whatsoever’.

Fishing was about the same as last year and 2023, with few crab and local boats reliant on lobsters, he told Fishing News. “There’s not much crab, but I think that’s the same across the UK.

“We’ve seen more velvets and juvenile brown crabs, so things have steadily got better, but the Hartlepool prawn fleet is absolutely decimated – prawns are non-existent on the inshore grounds.

“Quite a few boats have sold up, and those that are still prawning are having to go a lot further to get a living.”

His local council had dropped landing fees from 4% to 3% to help, but the amount involved was minimal, and fishermen had had no support from the government to help them diversify, he said.

“We couldn’t even get any tuna licences to help us to diversify,” he said. “We could diversify into mackerel, herring, squid and scallops but there’s no support, nobody’s interested – all we get is lip-service.

“We’re a dying trade and we’re being chucked on the scrapheap – and that goes for every government.

“We said we didn’t want compensation, we just wanted our environment putting back
to where it was before the die-off, but there are no moves to mitigate anything, and it’s just business as usual with the Tees.”

He said he had no faith that local fishermen would be able to get any help from the £360m fund announced in May following their experience with the Fishing and Seafood Scheme (FaSS).

“When you read the grant applications and what they’ll give youinthelatestroundofFaSS money, they’re trying to avoid any mention of fishing – it’s all aquaculture.

“The fishing industry has been totally cast aside.”

By Tim Oliver

This story was taken from the latest issue of Fishing News. For more up-to-date and in-depth reports on the UK and Irish commercial fishing sector, subscribe to Fishing News here or buy the latest single issue for just £3.50 here. 

Sign up for Fishing News’ FREE e-newsletter here.