Dozens Of Dead Sharks Wash Ashore Jersey Shore Beach

SEA ISLE CITY, NJ — Nearly 30 small sharks washed up along a Jersey Shore beach earlier this week.

The sharks are believed to be juvenile dogfish, according to multiple reports. They were found between 29th and 39th streets in Sea Isle City.

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"The first couple weren't too surprising, but when I saw three and four and five, I knew something was up," Michelle Greenling, who found the sharks, told CBS Philadelphia.

A similar event happened in 2019 on Absecon Island. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection said it was no cause for concern and an ordinary part of nature.

Stephen Nagiewicz, a marine science professor at Stockton University, told NJ.com that the dogfish likely either died from being stranded near the shoreline or were caught out at sea and dumped back into the ocean.

A toxic substance being the cause is unlikely, according to Nagiewicz. He told CBS Philadelphia that if that were the case, there would be other fish washing up along with the dogfish.

Dogfish travel in large schools, though this many washing up at one time is unusual, Nagiewicz told NJ.com.

"Thirty dogfish washing up on a beach isn't common anywhere," Nagiewicz told the outlet. "I have been on the ocean for close to 50 years. I have never seen that."