Mystery of England’s crab and lobster die-offs deepens as experts find no clear cause

Others question panel's conclusion that novel pathogen may be to blame rather than algae blooms or toxin

The mystery behind the deaths of thousands of crabs and lobsters along England's north-east coast has developed a further twist, with experts saying it could be down to a new disease.

The die-offs, which began in autumn 2021 and recurred at various points in 2022, affected at least 70 km of the coastline, with some of the crustaceans showing an unusual twitching while dying.