CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Central Florida’s coast has a distinct smell to kick off summer.
This year, because of pollution and warmer oceans, some scientists say there could be more stinky seaweed washing up on beaches than ever before.
There was a ton of it on Memorial Day where your Cape Canaveral Community Correspondent James Sparvero met a woman raking seaweed.
“I’m just trying to rake some seaweed up,” Jessica Kinchen said. “Get a nice little spot for our family.
Kinchen said it’s more seaweed than she’s seen in several years of visiting Harbor Heights.
“There’s probably 15, 20 feet of it all the way down the beach,” she said. “Definitely, the most I’ve ever seen.”
Last year, USF professor Dr. Brian Barnes said there was more sargassum floating in the ocean than ever recorded.
Monday, Dr. Barnes said this summer will likely be just as much or even more than last year’s record.
“It starts to smell pretty bad,” another beachgoer, James Gillis, said.
Even so, Brevard County said it doesn’t remove the seaweed because animals like birds and crabs eat the little sea creatures that live in it.
Gillis brought up another natural benefit to the environment.
“I definitely think it’s a positive impact for keeping the sand where it is, where we want it,” he said. “I would take some temporary discomfort for some long-term benefits.”
Believe it or not, there are some scientists who think you might be able to actually eat this seaweed.
You can read about the new study here.