Efforts have now been stepped up in an attempt to identify the peculiar substance which has been polluting the water along San Fransisco Bay's eastern edge.
Local bird rescue centers have been inundated with cases of seabirds covered in the clear, odorless substance which impairs their ability to insulate themselves against the cold.
The goop turned up in the bay area around a week ago.
"It was thick enough to see in the water for a few days and now you can’t really see it unless you know where to look," said Andrew Hughan of the California Department of Fish & Wildlife.
"It’s a real mystery. We’ve never seen anything like it and neither have the bird rescuers."
Experts believe that the goo is man-made but have been unable to determine exactly what it is or where it came from. One possibility is that it could be a type of rubber called polyisobutylene.
Rescuers are continuing to work around the clock in an effort to save as many birds as possible but so far more than 200 are believed to have been killed and hundreds more could still be at risk.
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