200-pound sea creature found dead on NC beach was likely hit by boat, team says

An increasingly rare loggerhead sea turtle was found dead on the eastern end of North Carolina’s Emerald Isle over the Memorial Day weekend, according to the Emerald Isle Sea Turtle Patrol.

The discovery was reported Saturday and comes as sea turtle nesting is nearing a seasonal peak along the Southeastern U.S.

“Sadly the huge turtle had been struck by a boat. It is possible that she was in the area getting ready to nest,” patrol officials wrote in a May 24 Facebook post.

The turtle weighed in excess of 200 pounds, and one of its front flippers showed evidence of the boat strike, the patrol says.

Loggerheads can reach 350 pounds and are a threatened species in the Northwest Atlantic. Boat strikes are a key reason for their decline, NOAA Fisheries says.

Nesting involves lumbering ashore and laying eggs in the sand, and that ritual forces the slow-moving turtles to dodge speeding boats and jet skis. Not all make it through the gauntlet.

Volunteer Dale Baquer of the Emerald Isle Sea Turtle Patrol was sent to confirm the turtle’s death, along with taking a DNA sample to see if it is listed in the patrol’s database.

A bulldozer lent by the Town of Emerald Isle was used to bury the loggerhead in an unmarked grave, and the task was handled with an extra step done in tribute.

“She is facing the ocean,” the patrol noted.

News of the turtle’s death while nesting was mourned on social media, with many calling it “heartbreaking.”

“Thank you for returning her to the earth,” Lisa Turan wrote on the patrol’s Facebook page.

Emerald Isle Sea Turtle Patrol operates under the authorization of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, which requires permits for sea turtle research.

Emerald Isle is about a 145-mile drive southeast from downtown Raleigh.

This story was originally published May 24, 2026 at 10:45 AM.