Dead turtles with bleeding eyes wash up on Port Stephens beaches
In the past month, marine rescue group Sea Shelter has recorded the deaths of 25 green turtles that washed ashore at Port Stephens beaches, seven of them in the past week alone.
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service confirmed it was investigating the deaths of at least 32 turtles in recent weeks.
Sea Shelter founders Lia and Ryan Pereira said the sudden spike was deeply concerning.
"It's definitely very, very worrying," Ms Pereira told ABC Newcastle Breakfast.
The Pereiras have been rescuing marine life through their Irukandji Shark & Ray Encounters business for more than a decade.
The deaths are under investigation by multiple agencies, including NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Department of Primary Industries and the Taronga Zoo's Australian Registry of Wildlife Health.
Veterinarian Tom Tran, who works with Sea Shelter, has been conducting necropsies on the turtles.
"We take pictures and tissue samples and send them to a special lab in Sydney," Dr Tran said.
The dead turtles have been found across several popular swimming spots, including Shoal Bay, Nelson Bay and Corlette.
Mr Pereira said while the wash-ups appeared to be concentrated near popular beaches, that could be because the large local population made sightings more likely.
In a statement, National Parks and Wildlife Service confirmed samples were being collected for testing and investigations into the cause were underway.
The Taronga Zoo registry said in a statement it had undertaken necropsies on two turtles and was conducting diagnostic testing on samples from a further 15 marine turtles from Port Stephens to understand their cause of death.
"It is too early to establish a definitive diagnosis," the statement read.
"A thorough, multifaceted investigation is underway and it may take some weeks to determine the factors contributing to the event."
The NSW Environmental Protection Authority said it was not involved in the investigation.
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