Weed
© Alistair BrightmanBuild up of green gunk on the beach at Pialba.
A mystery weed has been washing up on Hervey Bay beaches this week, and no-one seems to know what it is.

The Department of Environment and Resource Management and the Fraser Coast Regional Council were both scratching their corporate heads over the unknown flotsam, unable at this stage to even say whether it is a type of seaweed or algae.

The weed appears to be clumps of soft, dark green strands about 10-30cm in length, and members of the public have told the Chronicle about an awful smell it makes after being left behind in the sun at low tide.

The council also confirmed they had received a complaint from the public about the algae/seaweed.

Principal officer for coastal management Jamie Bunt said council staff were taking samples which would be sent away for analysis.

He said he would expect a response in about a week and any action would be determined by the results of the analysis, and would be taken in consultation with DERM.

A DERM spokeswoman said the department had not yet received any reports about the mystery weed, and so was not able to make any comment on what it might be.

The DERM website states there are about 300 species of microalgae which occur in masses - referred to as "algal blooms" - with nearly one quarter of those species producing toxins.

At this stage there is no confirmation that the dark green gunk polluting Hervey Bay beaches is one of these algal blooms.