Ocean Sunfish Keep Rescuers Busy in MA

Onset sunfish rescue. Photo/NECWA

Ocean sunfish, also known as mola mola, are large (up to several thousand pounds), pelagic fish that visit New England waters each summer. However, they often get lost in the region’s shallow inshore waters, especially as they seek warmer water in fall and try to head south. This can lead to big trouble for the fish, and lots of work for the folks who rescue them.

Nantucket sunfish rescue.

This month saw the rescue of several sunfish in Massachusetts. On November 15, Nantucket Animal Rescue founders Blair Perkins and Rain Harbison managed to wrestle a 500-pounder from the waters off Pocono Point inside Nantucket Harbor and transport it via pickup truck. The fish was spent a lot of time out of water, but was said to have swum off vigorously once it was released in open water off Great Point.

Meanwhile, on November 18, members of the New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance (NECWA) were able to rescue a large ocean sunfish that had stranded in Onset Harbor off Shell Point. The team was able to get the fish all the way to the Cape Cod Canal, where it reportedly swam away.

Not far away, on November 13, a member of the Massachusetts Dept. of Natural Resources and a member of the Bourne Shellfish Department teamed up with NECWA President Krill Carson to rescue a mola mola that was trapped in Bourne’s Little Buttermilk Bay. The fish was eventually towed to the Cape Cod Canal and released.

Lastly, on November 10, other members of NECWA were able to rescue a sunfish that was stranded in Wellfleet Harbor.

NECWA has now documented over 100 stranded ocean sunfish (live and dead combined) during the 2024 season, which has been one of the all-volunteer group’s busiest seasons to date.