Last week, Beach Haven resident Bob Nish was walking along the beach in Holgate when something on a jetty caught his eye. It was a gigantic sea turtle, wedged between the rocks.

“I was curious to see if it was still living, but as I got closer, I could tell it was dead,” said Nish.

In doing a little research, Nish found the creature was a leatherback sea turtle. Unlike with other sea turtles, the bony shell of the leatherback is not visible. Instead it’s covered by a leathery layer of black or brown skin.

Bob Schoelkopf, co-founder and director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine, sent a volunteer to check…