From a distance, Korey Tomei said thought he had spotted garbage and only realized what he saw was a dolphin after moving in for a closer look as he had planned to retrieve the trash. Tomei, who operates Captain Korey’s Charters, notified the stranding center, which said a necropsy can’t be performed because the dolphin is too decomposed. This is the 40th dead dolphin found in New Jersey’s waters or beaches this year and the first in July. The Marine Mammal Stranding Center had 45 reported dolphin deaths in 2022, 32 in 2021 and 30 in 2020. Earlier this year, Governor Murphy commented that the dead dolphins washing up on state beaches was “tragic” but added offshore wind development would continue as federal investigations have yet to find evidence tying survey work to the strandings — despite claims from some groups and officials.
4th Dead Dolphin of 2023 found floating off Jersey Shore
