Ocean Sunfish Sighting on October 4, 2013

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Ocean sunfish right off our port bow. 
Ocean sunfish season is now upon us. NECWA has received numerous sightings from our community sighting network on live and dead ocean sunfish seen in the waters off New England. Today, we had great looks at a large sunfish that was just southwest of Stellwagen Bank.


We saw this animal during a whale watch charter with Capt. John Boats, Plymouth MA. New Bedford High School had joined us for a whale watch and this sunfish was our first sighting of the trip. 



This fish was just taking it easy at the surface as we approached. As we watched this fish, it became curious about us and swam around the vessel a few times to get a good look at us.

What was neat about this animal was how the eye could rotate sideways allowing the animal to get a good look at its surroundings even when floating on its side.


Here is some video from today's sighting.



To report your sightings of live ocean sunfish and basking sharks, please go our New England Basking Shark and Ocean Sunfish Project at www.nebshark.org. If you find a dead ocean sunfish washed up on a beach, please call Krill immediately to report this carcass. Call 508-566-0009.

The information obtained by NEBShark is helping us better understand this very unusual fish that migrates north to feed on jellyfish, ctenophores and other gelatinous critters abundant in our New England waters.

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