Photo: Emma Friedman/WBZ NewsRadio
GLOUCESTER, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Last one to Good Harbor Beach might not be a rotten egg, but you might smell like one when you leave.
"Everyone thought it was a gas leak at first, but the town said it's a seaweed," one local said.
An invasive Japanese seaweed, to be exact, called Heterosiphona Japonica. According to the city, strong winds washed the algae ashore after Hurricane Erin, causing a rotten egg-like stench in the air, plaguing residents in Gloucester.
"Yeah, it was a really, really strong smell," another resident stated.
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Several beaches, including Good Harbor Beach, issued warnings about high winds and rip currents during the hurricane. Without another strong tide to pull the seaweed back into the water, it's decomposing on the shore, releasing a strong odor. Officials say it's a natural process and that the smell should fade away as the seaweed continues to break down.
Seaweed can take a few weeks to up to six months to decompose.
WBZ NewsRadio’s James Rojas (@JamesRojasMMJ) reports.