By AARON PARSEGHIAN

There's a stinky situation in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Officials there say they've identified the source of a "strong odor" that smells like rotten eggs.

Invasive Japanese seaweed

The city explained on Facebook on Wednesday that Heterosiphonia japonica, an invasive Japanese seaweed, is causing the smell in East Gloucester.

"When it washes ashore and decays, it releases a rotten egg-like odor that can seem concerning, but it's a natural process," the city said.

Seaweed arrived during Hurricane Erin

The invasive seaweed arrived on the North Shore thanks to Hurricane Erin, which brought rough surf and big waves to the East Coast in late August and forced several Massachusetts beaches to close for swimming because of dangerous rip currents. 

"Last week's hurricane winds pushed large amounts of this seaweed onto our shores, and high tides carried it into the Good Harbor estuary," the city said. "Without another strong tide to pull it back out, it's sitting and decomposing, which is what you're smelling."

The red seaweed was first recorded on the East Coast in 2009 when it was collected off Rhode Island, according to the Smithsonian website. It spreads aggressively and has been connected to fish die-offs. 

Residents compared the smell to gas, and some complained of a sewage-like odor.

"It smells like raw sewage, if I'm being honest," said beachgoer Cheryl Doyle. "It doesn't smell good at all."

"I mean, the smell is just brutal," said Gloucester resident Gabriel Cunha. "Close the sliders and light a candle or something. It was terrible, it was like sitting in a box of rotten eggs."

Terrance Cudney said he hopes the smell goes away soon, as he's getting married in Gloucester in just a few weeks.

"This was the area we wanted to get hitched in and just hoping for the best and trying to plan for the worst," said Cudney. "Sometimes if there's a higher tide, you smell it less but it can be quite overpowering."