What is this? White goo washed up on beaches is a mystery!

Toronto (Canada) - Beachgoers in the far northeast of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador are baffled. Mysterious white blobs have been appearing on their beaches since September! The authorities are now also concerned.

The question of what it is or where this white mucus comes from is still unclear.
The question of what it is or where this white mucus comes from is still unclear.  © Facebook/Philip Grace

"Does anyone know what these lumps are? They're like touton dough and all over the beach," wrote Facebook user Philip Grace in a group within the social network at the beginning of September. Users then speculated what they might be dealing with here.

Newfoundlander Dave McGrath told The Guardian that he had discovered "hundreds, just hundreds of them" scattered in the sand. "They looked like a pancake before you flip it over when it has these little bubbles. I poked a few with a stick and they were spongy and firm inside," McGrath said. "I've lived here 67 years and I've never seen anything like it, ever."

The government agency Environment and Climate Change Canada told CBS that it was a "mystery substance".

They first learned about it on September 7. "At this stage, neither the substance nor its source have been identified," a spokeswoman for the authority told the broadcaster. A preliminary laboratory analysis suggests that it could be a plant-based substance. It remains a mystery!