Dead sea life washing up in North Myrtle Beach. Could renourishment be to blame?
Beachgoers in North Myrtle Beach have noticed an unusual phenomenon on their oceanfront strolls.
Recently, dead sea creatures such as horseshoe crabs and stingrays have been spotted washed up along area beaches. The sightings have led to speculation that offshore activity related to beach renourishment could be to blame.
The beach renourishment in North Myrtle Beach is part of a $72 million project entirely funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which will continue south for 26 miles. The project will add two million cubic yards of sand to the Grand Strand shoreline. The project is projected to move through North Myrtle Beach by early 2026, and continue down to Garden City by April 2026.
The renourishment project is aimed at protecting the area’s beaches by helping them recover from erosion caused by major weather events such as Hurricane Ian in September 2022 and Hurricane Debby in August 2024.
This process involves offshore dredging in pre-determined areas, where sand from the seabed is pumped through a submerged pipeline and onto the beach. Bulldozers later spread that sand on the beaches to shape and widen them.
Can beach renourishment hurt sea life?
While beach renourishment is a way of preserving the natural landscape of Grand Strand beaches, it can come at a cost to sea life.
Nourishing beaches can kill and scare away wildlife both on the shore and in the water, according to the University of California, Santa Barbara’s Explore Beaches project. The construction on beaches can impact shore birds, and the movement of sand can muddy waters, smothering some marine creatures.
However, beach renourishment is still considered more environmentally friendly than seawalls, which are a common alternative.
North Myrtle Beach spokesperson Gianna Forbis shared a statement from the Army Corps of Engineers explaining that environmental disruptions from renourishment can cause some sea life to wash up on shore, but it isn’t necessarily the sole explanation for what beachgoers have been seeing.
“Some marine animals washing up can happen during beach renourishment, but it also occurs naturally,” the statement reads. “The project can temporarily disturb nearshore habitats, which may contribute in a very small number of cases; however, these effects are short-term, not widespread and closely monitored.”
Protecting turtles, other marine life
The statement says that the Army Corps requires strict environmental protections during projects like this one, including daily monitoring by trained environmental observers, the use of turtle exclusion devices on dredging equipment and screening systems designed to prevent marine life from entering dredge intakes.
“If any protected species or unexpected biological material is observed, operations can be adjusted or paused. These measures are designed to reduce impacts, and the vast majority of marine life returns once the project is completed,” the statement reads.
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the dead sea life, and what could be causing them to wash ashore.
