Yorkshire Coast shellfish deaths conclusion could be early this year
A report by independent scientists may be published by the end of January
It is hoped a report will be published by the end of this month bringing a conclusion into the mass deaths of shellfish on the Yorkshire Coast.
A Government committee asked for independent scientists to find out why and what can be done.
There are two causes: It is either algae bloom or a toxic chemical called Pyridine possibly caused by dredging in the River Tees.
Sir Robert Goodwill, MP for Scarborough and Whitby, said: "We've had a lot of uncertainty I think about the cause of it. As the chair of the EFRA select committee that holds the Government's DEFRA department to account, we suggested a couple of months ago that we should have an independent review of all the evidence and come up with a best idea as to what caused it.
"One is a chemical called Pyridine which was detected in some shellfish and the other is there was an algae bloom due to previous weather conditions which caused the shellfish to asphyxiate. I'm hoping that report will be available hopefully by the end of January so we can actually, once for all, with an independent group of scientists come to a conclusion.
"We'll know in due course and of course the event was 15-months ago. The problem is that lobsters take a long time to mature so the small, immature lobsters that died then aren't going to become larger lobsters that can be caught in the next two or three years and that's the problem.
"The algae bloom has been supported by the Marine Management Organisation and the University of Plymouth showed satellite images showing the area affected was pretty much corresponding to the algae bloom. There are other theories from other scientists that suggest it could be a chemical called Pyridine which occurs naturally in every cell of our bodies.
"If it's an algae bloom then the solution will be about preventing for example nitrate pollution and phosphate pollution going into our rivers from water treatment works. If it's Pyridine then we need to see what the source of that Pyridine could be, bearing in mind that the mass shellfish mortality was at maintenance dredging was taking place from the River Tees."