Stranded Sea Turtles Add to Offshore Wind Debate

WILDWOOD CREST – The Marine Mammal Stranding Center (MMSC) received multiple calls regarding a loggerhead sea turtle that washed ashore in Wildwood Crest, June 26.
Initial public reports were that the turtle was alive and died on the beach. In a Facebook post, the MMSC pointed to evidence of decomposition that showed the turtle was dead when it washed ashore. That same post said that a necropsy done on the beach concluded that the turtle was the victim of a shark bite that caused massive blood loss.
Social media comments referenced the ongoing controversy over offshore wind developments, with both pro and con views on the responsibility of the wind initiative for the turtle’s death and stranding.
The turtle found in Wildwood Crest was one of two turtle fatalities, with a leatherback sea turtle seen in the surf in Stone Harbor.
MMSC confirmed that turtle strandings this time of year are not unusual. Statistics on the organization’s website show that loggerhead sea turtles have accounted for 20% of all strandings, and leatherback sea turtles have accounted for 2%.
According to the MMSC, the Stone Harbor carcass had been “savaged by sharks.” The Stone Harbor turtle floated back out to sea before it could be safely recovered.
Sharks are typically found in warmer southern waters, but some experts advise that warmer seas have drawn sharks northward and closer to shorelines in New Jersey.
Shark sightings are rising. A 2022 study by the University of Miami concluded that sharks are swimming closer to shore than most people realize.
There is little doubt that the 65-pound turtle found in Wildwood Crest had suffered a serious shark attack. The question for some was whether the shark bite was the primary cause.
One individual, who commented on the MMSC Facebook post, made the argument specific, claiming that the shark wound was a “secondary impact” to the “harm NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) is allowing to sea life in the name of the Big Wind payoff.”
Such remarks were countered by the MMSC’s response that pointed to the fact that “sea turtles are common in our waters in the summer, and the stranding season of sea turtles in our area runs through the fall.”
Other comments thanked the MMSC for countering “misinformation” from offshore wind opponents.
The debate will continue as the offshore wind effort remains the focus of controversy.
In terms of other species, the MMSC statistics show that June ended with six dolphin strandings in New Jersey, three of which were in Cape May County – two in Cape May Point and one in Wildwood.
Necropsy results are pending in four of the six cases. The other two were badly decomposed and were disposed of.