So whats the white stuff?

Okay, Al. I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one.

Weakfish spawn in esturaries, not in the ocean. As a matter of fact, their lavae need a salinity of between 10 and 20 ppt to strive. They are members of the Drum family who are commonly referred to as being "estuarine dependent" not just for the salinity but for the "nursery effect" that esturaries provide. It's a huge contrast to the pounding salty surf where this foam has been found.

I'm not disputing the fact that at one point during the spawning ritual there will be a great concentration of weakfish in the surf. But the common tale that weakfish use the sandy stretches of ocean beaches to complete the ritual and lay their eggs is a complete myth.

By the way, over the weekend, especially on Friday night and Saturday morning, the Long Island Sound near Northport was tainted in a rich, dark brown sludge color. It was so bad that bathers at the beaches refused to enter the water because you could not see the bottom, even in an inch of water.

What was that all about and could it be related to the white foam??

It's RUBBER not SPERM

Here's the official word from Newsday.com...

South Shore Beaches Reopened
Rubbery material not hazardous, officials say

By Staff Reports

June 13, 2002, 3:57 PM EDT

Suffolk health officials reopened beaches along Suffolk's South Shore late this afternoon after officials determined that nearly a half-ton of unknown foamy substance that washed up on the shore was not hazardous.

"The material has been undergoing testing in the laboratory. While they can't determine the exact nature of the material, the determination has been made that it's non-hazardous. It's a type of rubber," said Robert Nuzzi, director of the Suffolk County Bureau of Marine Resources.

County park officials first discovered the unidentified substance at the beach at Smith Point County Park on Tuesday evening and notified the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Yesterday, county healthy officials ordered all beaches along Suffolk's South Shore closed until the nature of the substance was determined.

Brookhaven and Islip Town beaches along Lake Ronkonkoma also were closed Tuesday after water samples taken on June 6 revealed levels of coliform, a bacteria found in soil and in the intestinal tract of animals, to be more than the standard set by the state Department of Health Services.

The Islip town beach was reopened today, but the Brookhaven beach remained closed.
Copyright © 2002, Newsday, Inc.

Now I wish it was Weakfish sperm. At least that would not be as sad as some sort of industrial spill.