Hartlepool fishermen reveal how they are still feeling impact of mass crustacean die-offs

Inshore fishers say stocks of crab, lobster and other marine life have not recovered since the sudden and huge crustacean die-offs witnessed from Seaham to Whitby in 2021.

Several recent smaller die-offs have been reported in Hartlepool bay and Teesmouth including a large number of razor clams and cockles on the beach at Seaton Carew.

Dead and twitching crabs, similar to those seen in 2021, have also been picked up at sea.

Fishermen, together with scientists and supporters, are continuing to fight for answers and are investigating to establish the cause of the ‘ecocide’ that has destroyed livelihoods.

Hartlepool fisherman Stan Rennie, 62, who can trace his heritage back hundreds of years, is a member of the North East Fishing Collective campaign group.

He said: “The local stocks are still decimated. I’m fishing 10 to 12 miles further north from what I used to. This time of year before the die offs I was throwing back up to 70 pregnant lobsters. Now I’m lucky if I see one a day.

“Over half the Hartlepool potting fleet has gone to the wall. We’re in danger of losing the fleet altogether.

“It’s just absolutely heartbreaking to see them lads you have known all your life have to sell up.”

Hartlepool prawn fisherman Peter Griles described the situation as a “total disaster”.

He said: “We have lost another three boats. We’ve had to put them up for sale because they can’t make a living.”

Another lifelong Hartlepool fisherman, John Wallace, 59, sold his boat last September.

“It’s heart destroying,” he said. “It’s our heritage. It’s finished unless anything changes.”

An initial government report into the 2021 die-offs suggested it was down to algal bloom, a rapid growth of microscopic algae.

A Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) appointed expert panel later concluded a new pathogen – such as a germ or virus – was the most likely cause but were unable to identify a clear and single cause.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen has stressed that dredging and the Freeport were not responsible for the crustacean deaths.

But Gary Caldwell, a scientist at Newcastle University, has called the outcome a “smokescreen”.

He and others are investigating the potential impact of Teesside’s industrial past and dredging in the River Tees on the sea life.

Meanwhile, Sally Bunce, a marine mammal medic, says the Tees’s grey seal population has struggled since the die-offs due to lack of food.

"Seals are an indicator species and suggest something is not right in this environment,” she said.

Mr Rennie added: “We want to get to the truth. It has never been a political fight, it’s about the environment and future of the industry.”

Defra says the Environment Agency received reports of a wash up at Teesside but found no evidence of pollution.

It added the recent reports are not of the type and scale with what was experienced in 2021.

Meanwhile, students from Hartlepool’s Northern School of Art have worked with the fishing community to produce a variety of artwork highlighting their history and current plight.

Work went on display at the Duke of Cleveland pub, on the Headland, earlier this month.