Increase in dead sea dragons reported on shores of Northern Beaches
By Isabella Michie
ABC Radio Sydney
Topic:Marine Biology
18m ago18 minutes agoFri 14 Mar 2025 at 8:14pm
A dead seadragon washed up on sand.
Residents have reported dead sea dragons found on the shores of Narrabeen, Collaroy, and Curl Curl Beach. (Supplied: Piero Aramini)
In short:
An increase in dead sea dragons washing up on Sydney's Northern Beaches has been reported.
Experts say this is due to barotrauma and a lack of food sources caused by extreme weather.
What's next?
Marine researchers want residents who find dead sea dragons to photograph them and report any findings.
Northern Beaches residents were shocked to find sea dragons had washed up on local beaches earlier this week.
Piero Aramini found two dead male weedy sea dragons on the shores of Collaroy Beach.
"Probably about 100 metres from the surf lifesaving club, I found a sea dragon washed up on the shoreline," Mr Aramini said.
"I actually walked 40 metres down further and found another one."
A dead seadragon on sand.
Mr Aramini found two dead sea dragons on Collaroy Beach. (Supplied: Piero Aramini)
The first sea dragon Mr Aramini found appeared to have died recently, but the second one had started to decompose.
"The first one I found looked fairly intact … the second one I found was a bit decayed," he said.
The Collaroy resident took a photo of the fish and posted it to a local community group where other members shared they had also found dead sea dragons.
Rachel Ballantyne found a male weedy sea dragon on Narrabeen Beach on Sunday morning.
"It was quite old, quite dried out, so it must've been there for a little bit, but it was quite large … I was surprised to find it," Ms Ballantyne said.
Dead seadragon on sand.
Rachel Ballantyne found one at Narrabeen Beach. (Supplied: Rachel Ballantyne)
Two other members of the community group also reported washed-up sea dragons found on Curl Curl Beach.
Professor of Marine Ecology at UTS David Booth said it was unusual to have this many washed-up sea dragons reported.
"I'd say one [is reported] every two months … so here's four in one month, so that's like eight times the normal. That's a bit unusual," Professor Booth said.
Extreme weather behind dead sea life
While there had been only a few recent reports of dead sea dragons, Professor Booth hoped it did not become more widespread as seen previously.
In 2022, more than 200 dead sea dragons were found on beaches in Sydney, Gosford, and Wollongong.
"It was a horrible first half of the year in terms of climate change and storms," Professor Booth said.
"We had a massive marine heatwave, and that was followed up by a series of these horrible east coast flow storms."
A weedy seadragon in the ocean.
Professor Booth says sea dragons are "fragile". (Supplied: John Smith/vimeo.com/fumblethumbs)
During this period, Professor Booth's rain gauge received more than eight times the normal rainfall.
"So all of this sort of linked together … sea dragons don't handle a surge in the ocean very well. They can't handle being pushed up and down," he said.
Professor Booth's research found barotrauma caused by extreme weather to be a significant factor behind the increase in dead sea life in 2022.
"Barotrauma means when deep sea fishes will be brought up 50 metres and the stomach is coming through the mouth and their eyes are all bulging," he said.
"That's a severe barotrauma when the pressure has injured the animal."
Massive rainfall in 2022 also caused the sea dragons' main food source, mysid shrimp, to be flushed out of the coast.
Professor Booth suspects both barotrauma and a lack of food source to be the cause behind the recent increase in dead sea dragons.
What to do if you find a washed-up sea dragon
Professor Booth advises not to touch the fish if found on the shore as they are a protected species.
Moving the animal can result in a hefty fine.
A man in diving gear in the ocean and smiling.
Professor Booth encourages residents to report any washed-up sea dragons to his research team. (ABC: Ben Deacon)
"Believe it or not, you can get a fine … for touching a protected animal — even if it's dead,"
he said.
"But we have a permit to not only get photos but actually collect them."
Professor Booth urges anyone who finds a washed-up sea dragon to photograph it and email him so the report can be used in his research.
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Posted18m ago18 minutes agoFri 14 Mar 2025 at 8:14pm
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