Ocean Sunfish carcass in Loagy Bay, Wellfleet, MA

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December 10, 2011

Yesterday, Zack and Jamie helped Krill find a decomposed ocean sunfish that had washed up on the shores of Loagy Bay in Wellfleet MA. Thanks guys for helping locate this carcass that was originally reported to NECWA by Kirsten, a Wellfleet resident.


Over the past few weeks, NECWA has not received any reports of fresh ocean sunfish carcasses on the beaches of Cape Cod. We are very glad about this for it signals the probable end of the ocean sunfish stranding season for 2011. But please continue to look for carcasses. Last year, our last fresh carcasses stranded on Mant's beach in Brewster on December 5th. And with this unseasonably warm weather, you just never know.

Thanks to Kirsten from Wellfleet for the original report of this carcass. Although this carcass was far too decomposed to necropsy, every carcass is vital to our understanding of this amazing species.

So keep sending NECWA your reports. Go to the NEBShark website at www.nebshark.org and send in your sighting information. And please keep an eye out for sea turtles as this is the season that they strand along Cape Cod beaches as well. Sea turtle strandings are reported to Mass Audubon at Wellfleet Bay. If you find a live or dead sea turtle on a beach, call 508-349-2615.

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