Dead turtles lined up along St. Croix River accidentally killed by Wisconsin DNR

A number of dead turtles found lined up on the banks of the St. Croix River last week were accidentally killed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the agency said.

DNR crews set up several hoop nets on the river bottom earlier this month to monitor the St. Croix River catfish population. When they checked the nets on Aug. 21, they found about 60 turtles had become entangled. Investigators were able to free most of the turtles and watched them swim away, the agency said in a statement.

The crew placed any turtles that did not immediately revive on a sandbar facing the water, in hopes that they would eventually come to and escape into the water.

“DNR personnel checked on the turtles a day later and noticed that many of them had swum away,” the agency said in a statement.

Boaters on the St. Croix River noticed the disturbing sight of a row of lifeless turtles on the shore near Scandia, Minnesota, and posted videos. KARE 11 was first to report the incident.

The DNR said the agency began the catfish survey in 2020 and this was the first time a large number of turtles had been caught in the nets. The nets have been removed. Most of the entangled turtles were spiny softshell turtles, which are common in the St. Croix area and have a healthy population, the agency said.

No threatened or endangered turtles were captured or harmed, the agency reported.