A strong east wind blew a thick carpet of foul-smelling Sargassum seaweed onto south Florida's beaches causing trouble for bathers and animals alike.

The seaweed, filmed here on July 24, is washing up on beaches in Florida, Mexico and throughout the Caribbean.

The seaweed causes trouble not only for humans but tiny sea turtle hatchlings that have a hard time climbing through the mess of weeds.

However, many types of fish use the floating seaweed as their homes, refuges and even a tasty food source.

This week, a strong east wind blew a thick carpet of stinky sargassum seaweed onto South Florida's beaches. The seaweed, which is washing up on beaches in Florida, Mexico and throughout the Caribbean, not only smells bad but it can make it hard for some beachgoers to reach the water. Once there, they have to wade and swim in the unpleasantly abrasive stuff.

Humans aren't the only ones who have a rough time with the seaweed. Tiny sea turtle hatchlings that are just now starting to emerge from their nests have a tough time climbing through the thick and wide mats of seaweed on their way to the ocean. Some don't make it.

Despite the challenges posed by the seaweed to humans and sea turtles, there's at least one animal that loves it. Fish. Many types of fish use the floating seaweed as their homes and refuges. They also find the seaweed as tasty as the best aquarium-quality fish food.

The enormous sargassum seaweed mat in the Atlantic Ocean is growing larger every year. Scientists theorize that this is because of warmer seas, due to global warming, and an overabundance of fertilizer running off the land and into the sea. They expect the problem to continue to grow worse. It's already having a strong negative impact on tourism throughout the region.