Shellfish deaths: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee calls for investigation

Key Facts

Image source, Sally Bunce Image caption, The mass die-off on 40 miles (70km) of coastline saw shellfish washed ashore between October and December 2021 Further investigations must be carried out into the deaths of thousands of shellfish off the North East and North Yorkshire coast, a committee has said.
In a letter to the Environment Secretary, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee said an urgent study into the mass die-off was needed.
Image source, Paul Grainger /PA Wire Image caption, The government previously said it "may never find the cause" behind the deaths of thousands of shellfish off the North East and North Yorkshire coast The letter also said: "The committee believes that further work should be undertaken to identify this novel pathogen, given the importance of determining its origin, its vectors of transmission, its transmissibility, its virulence and other factors related to it.
The committee also called on the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs to "swiftly complete" its analysis of the economic impact of the incident and, pending its outcome, provide financial support to those affected and for the regeneration of crab and lobster stocks.