Toxic chemicals may have killed sea creatures on Teesside beaches: The long-running issue of large numbers of sea creatures washing up dead on beaches across Teesside took a new turn this month when a study found that a toxic chemical may have been the cause of the deaths. Creatures began washing up dead in large numbers last year, but officials claimed that it was caused by a naturally occurring algal bloom. Local fishermen – who say their industry has been decimated by the deaths of the sea creatures – disputed this and said that works to dredge the mouth of the River Tees lead to mass die-off. Independent marine pollution expert Tim Deere-Jones then found that pyridine, a chemical used as an anti-corrosion agent in the marine industry, was found in extremely high levels in many dead crabs collected from the area. This led to the North East Fishing Collective raising £30,000 via crowdfunding to commission the latest study which was carried out by scientists from Newcastle, York and Hull universities. It used computer modelling to calculate that pyridine could have been released from sediment by the dredging of the Tees and spread along the coastline as far away as Whitby and said this would have been sufficient to “kill approximately 10 per cent of the crab population at Peterlee and Whitby, 30 per cent of the crab population at Runswick Bay and over 50 per cent of the crab population at Redcar.” It also said that claims that the sea creatures were killed by an algal bloom were “incomplete and contradictory” as algal blooms had happened at many other times without causing mass die-offs. The Chairman of the Whitby Fishermen’s Association, Joe Redfearn, said that the research was “very conclusive and should change the argument between the fishermen and the government. Prime Minister Liz Truss said that she was aware of the situation and would be raising the issue with Environment Secretary Ranil Jayawardena. Read more on this story here. It was also announced this month that a group of north east fishermen are raising funds to begin a legal campaign and are calling for a judicial review into the situation. The fundraising page on Just Giving states: “Our marine ecosystems have faced ecocide. Help us investigate the truth and ensure this never happens again. The livelihoods, communities and ways of life is under threat and could be lost or drastically reduced. Your support will go towards legal fees, independent investigations and support for the worst affected.” Defra stated that it was aware that legal action was forthcoming. The fundraising page can be viewed here.
Holy Island fishing ban would “devastate” local economy: The proposed ban on commercial and recreational fishing in a section of the sea off the coast of Holy Island would cause immense and far-reaching damage to the island’s economy, according to a group of councillors who are fighting against the ban. Councillor Colin Hardy, who represents Norham and Islandshires, said that the creation of a Highly Protected Marine Area (HPMA) in the waters of Holy Island would “devastate the island’s economy.” He went on to say “It will make it unaffordable. If we lose the fisherman, we lose the school, we lose the heart of the island.” Holy Island sits one mile off the coast of Northumberland and is connected to the mainland by a causeway which is covered by the North Sea at high tide. The creation of the HPMA is meant to protect the island’s marine biodiversity, but Cllr Hardy said that Holy Island fishermen “don’t trawl … they don’t dredge the seas” and the type of fishing they carried out was low-impact. A spokesperson for Defra said that no decision would be taken on the establishment of the Holy Island HPMA until the views of all of the groups affected had been listened to. Click here to read more on this story.
More sewage released across British beaches: Last month it was reported that heavy rainfall led to raw sewage being released across a number of UK beaches in order to prevent inland sewage works from becoming overwhelmed. This month further pollution warnings were issued for around one hundred beaches as more untreated sewage was released into the sea. The BBC reported that Southern Water released sewage at thirty bathing sites across the south east of England in a single day, while two storm discharge pipes, located at Southsea East and Stokes Bay, each released sewage for over 24-hours. Southern water released a statement which said: Rain can overwhelm the combined sewer and drainage system which exists in many parts of our region. To protect homes, schools and businesses from flooding, storm overflows act as a release valve and release excess water into the sea. These discharges are heavily diluted. However, public anger has continued to grow. Hugo Tagholm, the chief executive of the marine conservation charity Surfers Against Sewage said that sewage was being released at the “slightest hint” of rain, and Caroline Lucas, the Green Party MP, said that the water industry was “failing” and should be nationalised. Read more on this story by clicking here.
Scientists heavily criticise EU over fisheries failures: An influential group of scientists and conservationists have criticised the European Union over repeated failures to restore the bloc’s fisheries and marine environment. The group of over 200 scientists, which included Alexandra Cousteau, the founder of Oceans 2050 and the granddaughter of famed ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau, and members of the National Geographic Society, urged the EU to take further action. They said that EU waters were in a “dismal” state with only one-third of north east Atlantic stocks in good condition and seabed trawling is permitted in 59 per cent of the EU’s so-called protected marine zones. The group has called for at least 30 per cent of EU waters to be protected by the year 2030, and at least ten per cent of these being strict no take zones in which no forms of commercial fishing are allowed. Read more on this story by clicking here.
EU failing to stop illegally caught fish reaching consumers: The EU came in for further criticism later this month when the bloc’s own financial watchdog said that it wasn’t doing enough to stop fish and seafood which had been caught through illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing from reaching consumers. The European Court of Auditors (ECA) said that the EU had only put “partially effective” measures to stop illegal fishing in place. This meant that “these products keep ending up on EU citizens’ plates.” The ECA also said that EU member states applied checks and sanctions unevenly. Fines for illegal fishing were wildly different, ranging from €7,000 in Spain to just €200 (£180) in Cyprus, Lithuania and Estonia. The EU’s catch-certification scheme which was introduced in 2008 to ensure that fish being imported into the bloc were legal had been successful but was now being undermined by wide differences in the scope and quality of checks carried out in different member states. Read more here.
Insurance firms could be alerted to clients’ illegal fishing: Maritime insurance companies could cancel the insurance of vessels which take part in illegal fishing or breach quotas. Vessel viewer – a new technology which tracks the identity, movement, port visits and fishing activity of ships – will be used to monitor fishing vessels. This data will be sent to insurance companies and if it is found that the vessels have engaged in illegal behaviour their insurance may be cancelled. A Norwegian ship insurance company has already stopped the insurance cover of three vessels which were carrying out illegal tuna fishing in the Atlantic. Click here to read more on this story.