Ocean Sunfish Rescued in SE Massachusetts

Ocean sunfish rescued in Buttermilk Bay. Photo/NECWA

Ocean sunfish rescued in Wellfleet, MA. Photo/NECWA

The New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance (NECWA) had a busy few days rescuing ocean sunfish (mola mola) from the Cape Cod area. Monday (Sept. 30) saw the successful rescue of a massive fish in Buttermilk Bay (Wareham-Bourne, MA). According to the NECWA Facebook page, it was one of the largest ocean sunfish rescued this season. Once the fish was secured, it was slowly towed to the Cape Cod Canal and was reportedly heading south and “doing very well.”

A day earlier, NECWA’s Team Mola worked hard to rescue three ocean sunfish from the inner harbor in Wellfleet as the tide was receding. The team was able to secure the biggest fish in a special harness and tow it to deeper water near the harbor entrance. A second sunfish stranded and died, while a third was herded out to Indian Neck using kayaks.