Government Response
Committee hearing on sea life mortality off the North East Coast
The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee has welcomed the government’s accepting its proposal to establish an independent group of experts to investigate the deaths of large numbers of crustaceans off the Yorkshire coast since October 2021
The mass sea life deaths had a profound and lasting impact on local fishing communities. In a letter published today the Government responded to the committee’s recommendation, made following a hearing into the mass deaths. The letter said that the Secretary of State, Thérèse Coffey MP, had asked government scientists to look into the events in a timely fashion and for the findings of the panel to be published. In response to the call from the committee for greater financial support for the affected communities, the letter says that the Department only agreed “to assess the economic impacts of the incident”.
Chair of the EFRA Committee, Sir Robert Goodwill MP, said:
“It’s great that the Department is to establish a proper scientific inquiry into this tragedy, which has had a big impact on our coastal Yorkshire economy. We need to know the cause of these mass sea life deaths to make sure we can prevent it happening again. But meanwhile many communities of fishers and potters - who rely on these lobsters and crabs for their livelihoods - have suffered a great deal. I would ask the government to look again at long term solutions. The time it takes for some of these creatures to grow to full size can be several years. We need to think about the need to restock the area as soon as possible”.
Dr Neil Hudson MP for Penrith and The Border and Member of the EFRA Committee said:
“I am really pleased that the proposal I took to our EFRA Committee for the Government to appoint an Independent Expert Scientific panel to probe the devastating north east sea life mortality has been accepted and now taken forward by the Government. We need this to be done quickly so that local communities can get clarity on what has happened and that any corrective measures and support plans can be put in place promptly.”
