Mysterious white blobs have been washing up on Newfoundland’s beaches, prompting an investigation by Canadian authorities, BBC reported. A local resident Stan Tobin described the blobs as “doughy, like poorly baked bread” with a strong smell similar to vegetable oil. Since early September, beachgoers on the southern tip of the Canadian province have been reporting sightings of the unusual substance, leaving officials scrambling to determine its origin and composition.
Environment and Climate Change Canada ruled out petroleum-based sources, while Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s marine ecologist confirmed no biological or sea sponge origin.
Last month, Philip Grace was the first to post a photograph of the lumpy gelatinous blob. He shared an image on the Facebook page of Beachcombers of Newfoundland and Labrador, asking, ”Anyone know what these blobs are? They are like touton dough and all over the beach.” The photo sparked intense speculation online, with theories ranging from fungus to ambergris, a rare whale-produced substance valued in perfumery.
Several others reported seeing similar blobs on Shoal Cove Beach, Barasway Beach, Gooseberry Cove Beach, Southern Harbour, and Arnold’s Cove.
Local environmentalist Stan Tobin, who regularly walks the beaches near his Ship Cove village home, said he has no clue about it. “It’s like someone tried to bake bread and did a lousy job,” he said.
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) launched an investigation into the mysterious globs after receiving reports on September 7, spokesperson Samantha Bayard confirmed. Federal researchers, aided by the Canadian Coast Guard, collected beach samples near St. John’s. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) experts analysed the substances, considering the possibility that the blobs could be aquatic invasive species or whale blubber.
However, Nadine Wells, section head of the marine ecological research group at DFO’s Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Centre in St. John’s negated both possibilities.
”We are fairly certain that the mystery substance that has been getting media attention is not a sea sponge, nor does it have any biological material. The glob or the goo or whatever it is, we don’t think it’s a sponge because there have been people lighting it on fire and it burns. We figure there must be some type of oil in there,” she said. Meanwhile, the DFO is planning to expand field research to determine the source and composition of the enigmatic blobs.