Thousands of lifeless sea creatures – crabs and lobsters – are blanketing the beaches of north east England. An “apocalyptic” scenario, reports the Guardian, announcing that investigations have been launched to understand the reason for this carnage that began in early October with the first reports in Seaton Carew, Redcar and further north in Seaham.
Sightings from the beginning of October
A resident, Carl Clyne, first sighted dozens of dead crabs on Seaton Carew beach in early October, telling the Hartlepool Mail: ‘There were dead crabs in every rock pool and many along the waterline. among the algae ».
Marske residents described the beach scene as the worst they’d ever seen, with piles of dead and decaying creatures as well as living ones mixed with seaweed, ChronicleLive reported.
Fears for the ecosystem
Volunteers spent hours trying to get the crustaceans still alive back into the water, while conservationists expressed concerns about the ecosystem and the local fishing industry reported a 95% drop in lobster and crab catches, according to ITV News Tyne. Tees.
“Samples of water, sediments, mussels and crabs have been collected and sent to our laboratories for analysis to assess whether a pollution incident may have contributed to the deaths of the animals,” said an Environment Agency spokesperson. English.