Looking for Ocean Sunfish - October 4, 2010

-

Today Dominica and I went searching for ocean sunfish carcasses that were reported to NECWA and the NEBShark hotline about a week ago. It was a typical Cape Cod day with high winds, drizzle and fog. But what a beautiful day and the perfect temperature to go walking beaches and marshes in search of ocean sunfish that were reported to have stranded dead on Cape beaches.


Our first stop was the Brewster Museum of Natural History. Julie O'Neil reported 2 sunfish carcasses to NEBShark this past week. Julie is a big supporter of NECWA and has provided sighting information on both live and dead sunfish in the Brewster area. A big THANK YOU to Julie from all of us at NECWA.


We walked the museum trail to access the beaches of Cape Cod Bay. On the way to the beach, Dominica stopped to take a few shots for the Facebook page that she maintains for NECWA. As we approached the shoreline, we could smell the salt air and feel the stiff breeze. Our first views of Cape Cod Bay at low tide were amazing. Dark, stormy and brooding, but absolutely wonderful.


The first sunfish carcass was reported close to the west side of the trial. We were not able to locate this carcass so we searched the beach area in case the carcass had refloated. If the carcass is below the high tide line, it will probably refloat on the next high tide. Then it is anyone's guess as to where it lands.


Dominica and I walked the beaches close to the high tide line as well as close to the waters edge. We circled first to the west and then to the south until we arrived at Paine's Creek where a second carcass had been reported. Still no sign of an ocean sunfish carcass anywhere.


So we hiked back to the car and headed to Wellfleet to check out reports of a sunfish carcass near the old railroad bridge. The report came in from Bob Prescott, Director of the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. Bob has also been a big supporter of NECWA and has been instrumental in helping us with our ocean sunfish necropsies (autopsies). Another big THANK YOU to Bob, Melissa, Dennis, Mark, Diane and all the staff at the sanctuary.


As we searched that area, we once again came up empty handed. We even asked a number of people who were collecting oysters from the mud flats. So home we went empty handed but happy to spend much of the day hiking some beautiful terrain and chatting with the locals. On the way back through Wellfleet, we stopped by a house overlooking the harbor that had a wonderful metal sculpture of a whale tail. Fabulous!


This is ocean sunfish stranding season so we will be back on the road soon. If you see a live or dead sunfish, please contact Krill at 508-566-0009. We need a position and a photo if at all possible. Thanks for your interest and help.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Electric Torpedo Ray of New England

-
Image
The Shocking Ray of New England Blog by  Coleman Earner - December 21, 2020 Dead Torpedo Ray in Brewster, MA Torpedo Rays are a genus of rays that are part of the Order  Torpediniformes (electric rays). In reference to local sightings, the most commonly seen torpedo ray in the Cape Cod region is the Atlantic Torpedo ( Torpedo nobiliana ). They are cartilaginous fish (most similar to the structure of sharks and skates) with a flat and rounded disc-like structure. As suggested by their order, torpedo rays are most commonly known for their ability to discharge electricity of up to 220 volts from both pectoral fins (pectoral fins are flat and expanded and fused to the head area) as a self defense mechanism or as a means of capturing prey. Their feeding strategy consists of burying themselves under the sand and waiting for unsuspecting prey to wander by.  Dead Torpedo Ray on a Cape Cod Beach. Torpedo Rays feed mainly on benthic/pelagic fish such as flounders, damselfish, and other small fis
Read more

Ocean sunfish stranding at Linnell Landing - October 9, 2010

-
Image
This afternoon, Chris called about an ocean sunfish that stranded dead at the end of Linnell Landing in Brewster, MA. Krill Carson along with two NECWA interns, Nick Schomburg and Caitlyn Dionne, headed down or met at Linnell Landing in the late afternoon. When they arrived on the shores of Cape Cod Bay, a crowd was gathering around the ocean sunfish carcass that was just off the beach parking lot. This sunfish was almost 6 feet in length and some of the beachgoers indicated that it had come up on the beach around 2 pm that day. At first, it was difficult to look at the deep propellor scars that cut through the dorsal (top) surface of the sunfish and extended into its left flank. But sunset was quickly approaching so this team focused at the task at hand, that was collecting body measurements as well as tissues from this carcass. Nick and Krill conducted a Level A exam on the carcass and Caitlyn took pictures as well as recorded data. Krill was able to determine that this animal was
Read more

Wareham Classrooms have 2 Headstart Diamondback Terrapins

-
Image
Wareham Classrooms have 2 Headstart Diamondback Terrapins Terrapin Crush prior to this turtle's release.  NECWA was able to work with 2 Wareham Teachers this fall and winter as they participated in our Diamondback Terrapin Headstart program. One teacher, Lara Schofield, works at the high school and has previously participated in NECWA's head start program. The other teacher, Tanya Bungert, a middle school teacher, was new to the program this season.  Over the course of the school year, NECWA staff joined teachers and their students on numerous occasions, providing on-site guidance for caring and documenting the hatchlings. On two occasions , NECWA came into the High School to work with and present lessons on terrapins to the afterschool program run by teacher Lara Schofield. Working directly with students and their teachers is so important for these types of community  projects for it allows NECWA to see how successful our head start programs are.   NECWA would like to thank th
Read more