While New Jersey horseshoe crabs come ashore in May and June each year to lay eggs, they are also sometimes seen on beaches in great numbers in earlier spring – as they have been, mostly deceased, in certain spots along Long Beach Island the past couple months – due to storms, wind or strong offshore currents that intersect with their migration patterns.

“Sometimes their travels bring them closer to shore where they can get washed onto the beach,” said Shane Godshall, habitat restoration project…