In a letter sent on Tuesday, Sir Robert Goodwill told Thérèse Coffey, the environment secretary, that his committee had heard evidence that repeated mass deaths had a “profound and long-lasting effect … on fishing communities”. He called for the urgent appointment of an independent panel of experts to investigate the causes of the deaths. Until the impact of the dredging is ascertained, large-scale dredging in the area should be avoided, Goodwill said, and “maintenance dredging should be kept to the minimum level necessary to keep the port operational until the team’s investigation is complete.” experts”. Residents of coastal communities near the Tees Estuary have been sounding the alarm over crustacean deaths since last autumn. In February crab and lobster fishermen from Hartlepool to Scarborough reported their catches were a 10th of what they would normally expect at that time of year. The effects of the deaths extended up the food chain, with seal rescue volunteers reporting emaciated seal pups, which would normally scan the seabed for crustaceans and other bottom dwellers, washing ashore. An initial report by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) blamed a natural algal bloom. But independent researchers have blamed chemicals released from dredging operations linked to the development of the government’s flagship free port on the Tees estuary. The most important stories on the planet. Get all the week’s environmental news – the good, the bad and the must-haves Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The development on Europe’s largest brownfield site is expected to bring up to 18,000 new jobs to the area, which has suffered significantly from de-industrialisation since the 1980s, alongside benefits for the economy of £3.2bn. But some fear the extensive demolition, rebuilding and dredging work has disturbed pollutants that have lain dormant in the area and surrounding seabed for decades. Goodwill’s letter came after Defra’s committee heard evidence from Dr Gary Caldwell, a marine biologist from Newcastle University, who warned that pyridine detected in high concentrations in dead crabs could have been released by dredging. “There is clearly a need for further data and research into the causes of the mass destruction,” Goodwill’s letter said. “This must include an urgent investigation into the possible sources of pyridine which [Caldwell] identified in his oral evidence, including more extensive sediment sampling in the bed of the Tees Estuary to create a map of potential sources of pyridine near the maintenance dredging and in the wider area.’ A Defra spokesman said: “A comprehensive investigation last year concluded that a natural algal bloom was the most likely cause [of the die-offs]. We acknowledge the concerns about dredging, but have found no evidence to suggest that this was a cause. “This is a complex scientific issue, so we took a thorough, evidence-based approach. We welcome research conducted by universities and will continue to work with them.”
