(ORDO NEWS) — A new unknown disease has struck the inhabitants of the North Sea off the northeast coast of England, scientists said.
In October 2021, thousands of crabs and lobsters washed ashore dead, and here are the first results of the investigation.
A government report claims that the mass deaths may have been caused by a disease previously unknown to science. The Kingdom’s Ministry of the Environment initially thought a toxic algae bloom was the cause.
Later, a number of experts reported chemical contamination. Versions of the extinction of marine life have become the subject of heated public debate.
The published fresh report put an end to the controversy. “Most likely, the reason for the unusual mortality of crabs was a pathogen new to UK waters – a potential disease or parasite.
Viruses are known to cause symptoms similar to those seen in 2021. And these pathogens have caused deaths and declining crustacean populations around the world.
No significant disease has been identified in northeastern crabs, but no full molecular screening had been performed at the time of the initial investigation,” the report says.
According to the environmental department, there is no direct evidence of a new pathogen yet.
But even now it can be assumed that when the sea creatures were thrown out, signs of a disease or a parasite were observed.
“This is confirmed by key observations: unusual twitches of dying crabs and deaths predominantly among these crustaceans, and not other species,” the experts explained.
Scientists have rejected the version of the bloom of toxic algae. They also abandoned the version of chemical contamination.
“The scientific team reviewed nearby industrial plants and concluded that they could not have been sources of any significant amount of pollution during the period of crabs’ death,” the report says.
At the end of October 2021, thousands of marine life, both living and dead, were discovered on the northeast coast of England.
This happened on the site between the counties of Durham and North Yorkshire.
Many crabs and lobsters littered the beach, and the locals tried to save those who were still alive.
Government officials immediately launched an investigation.
—
Online:
Contact us: [email protected]
Our Standards, Terms of Use: Standard Terms And Conditions.