16-03-2025
'Foul mess' expelling stomach-churning stench at popular Aussie beach after wild weather
Australians along the east coast are reporting an overwhelming "foul stench" emanating from a large number of decaying marine organisms that were "hammered off the rocks" by the recent wild weather.
Although the effects of Cyclone Alfred have largely subsided, coastal residents are still voicing their concerns about the unpleasant odours they're encountering during beach walks. They say the unpleasant aroma lingers along the shoreline, where mountains of marine debris remain.
One woman this week posted online from Sawtell Beach in NSW, described the sight as "a mess" and "pretty foul". Another said her local beach was almost unbearable, saying she'd never seen such scenes.
"I braved the smell and managed a short walk in the afternoon and felt so sorry for the lifeguard who has had to endure it all day," she wrote. Dozens more weighed in from parts of Queensland's far south, saying they'd also experienced the same.
Associate Professor Ian Tibbetts with Queensland's Centre for Marine Science is a seashore expert. He spoke to Yahoo News Australia and identified the organisms as displaced — a type of sea squirt — found around the edge of the low-tide mark that often forms mats over the rocks.
"These were likely hammered off the rocks by huge waves, pummelled, and then hurled up onto the shore, where they've been left to rot—hence the smell," he explained.
While the smell can be unpleasant, there is no evidence to suggest significant health risks directly associated with the presence of decomposing cunjevoi on beaches. Many locals described the sight "sad" due to the import role cunjevoi actually play in marine ecosystems, being filter-feeding invertebrates.
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Although they resemble lumps of jelly-like rock, they are actually ascidians, a group of tunicates closely related to vertebrates.
Cunjevoi filter plankton from seawater through their siphons and play a role in coastal ecosystems by providing habitat and food for various marine species. When exposed at low tide, they can squirt water if stepped on, which is how they got their name "sea squirts."
After extreme weather events like cyclones, large numbers can be dislodged from rocks and wash ashore, where they die and decompose, releasing a foul smell.
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