Mystery cause of ‘apocalyptic’ mass crab deaths on UK coast revealed

Organism new to UK waters could be to blame for killing thousands of creatures, experts say

A mystery pathogen could be the cause of a mass die-off of sea life off the coast of northeast England that lasted more than a year, a government report has concluded.

A microorganism new to UK waters, such as a disease-causing parasite, may be to blame, experts say.

In October 2021, the bodies of crabs, lobsters, lugworms and razor clams began littering beaches for 80km (50 miles), from Hartlepool to Whitby and Scarborough.