Mass marine deaths reported on north-east coast again as dead creatures wash up on Saltburn and Marske beaches

More mass marine deaths have been reported on the north-east coast – raising fears that last autumn’s unexplained ‘dieback’ phenomenon may have recurred.

The mysterious deaths – which mainly involved crabs and lobsters – were first reported on beaches such as Staithes, Saltburn, Marske, Redcar and Hartlepool in October 2021.

This week the species mainly affected seem to be razor clams and mussels, which have washed up in large numbers at Saltburn and Marske.

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The government commissioned an investigation into the incident last autumn, but eventually concluded that a naturally occurring toxic algae bloom was to blame and ruled out other causes, including pollution and disease.

Local fishermen – who claim their shellfish catches have never recovered – funded their own independent study which suggested that a toxic chemical was responsible, and its presence has been linked with recent dredging work of the historically polluted River Tees as part of the Teesport redevelopment project.

Community social media page Redcar Alert shared a video of dead creatures at Marske and commented: “Every kind of marine life on Marske beach today amongst loads of seaweed, all dead sadly.”

Photographs taken by dog walker Sharon Bell show deceased fish, starfish and crabs.

The Environment Agency have blamed the recent dieback on storm conditions and said in a statement: “Officers are attending reports of seaweed and deceased marine life being washed up on beaches on the North East coast. This is a regular occurrence at this time of year and follows stormy conditions over the weekend which can often have a significant impact on the marine environment.

A dead fish on Marske beach in an image shared by dog walker Sharon BellA dead fish on Marske beach in an image shared by dog walker Sharon Bell
A dead fish on Marske beach in an image shared by dog walker Sharon Bell

“We are mindful of the high number of shellfish washed up last winter, and continue to monitor stocks closely. A comprehensive investigation was conducted earlier this year, concluding a naturally occurring algal bloom was the most likely cause.”

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“Large amounts of material such as seaweed can be washed up on beaches regularly around the UK and elsewhere after storm events, particularly in the autumn.

“On Friday 16 September 13ft waves were predicted at Saltburn, dropping back to around 6ft on the 18th. This degree of wave action in shallow waters is sufficient to dislodge large amounts of seaweed attached to the seabed that has been growing over the summer.

“Recently there have been very favourable growing conditions with warmer sea temperatures which will have added to the volume of algae that would normally wash up at this time of year.

“The same sea conditions can affect a range of invertebrates living on the seabed. They can be attached to seaweed or live on the seafloor.”