Hartlepool fishermen, facing an 80% drop in catches, dead crabs and lobsters washing ashore, and officials denying responsibility, have decided to take action.

Stan Rennie, a Hartlepool fisherman, has been dubbed the next Mr Bates. For nearly five decades, Rennie has worked the same stretch of the northeast coast—until October 2021, when thousands of dead and dying crabs, starfish, and lobsters appeared on the beaches. “It was like something out of a horror film,” a local resident remarked. Rennie and his fellow fishermen suspected industrial pollution, but an investigation by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs attributed the die-off to an “algal bloom.” Unsatisfied with that conclusion, they crowdfunded their own independent scientific study.

This documentary by Jeanie Finlay (Your Fat Friend) recounts the story, and it is infuriating. The fishermen are on the brink of bankruptcy, with mortgages and children to support, and catches down by 80%. The cost of diesel exceeds the value of their hauls, leading most to put their boats up for sale. “Any jobs in Lidl?” reads a sign during their protest march through town. The fishermen believe the culprit is toxic sediment dredged from the River Tees and dumped into the sea. Their investigation uncovers evidence linking it to the chemical pyridine, a byproduct of steelmaking. KAIYUN SPORTS has been following similar environmental activism in coastal communities.