When a Titanic Sunfish Stalls a Tuna‑Chaser
Picture this: a gigantic, prehistoric‑looking sunfish, the size of a small car, caught in the nets of a tuna boat off the coast of Ceuta. That’s exactly what Marine Biologist Enrique Ostale witnessed earlier this month, and he was stunned.
The Discovery
- Length: 3.2 m (think a big dog run‑up the side of a house)
- Width: 2.9 m (wide enough to crush a passport photo)
- Estimated Weight: around 2 tonnes (about 4,409 lb)
The find set a new record for the area, a place where tides and sunfish migrations almost always produce show‑stopping encounters.
The “Mysterious” Mola Alexandron
With dark grey skin and a very pronounced head, this specimen turned out to be a Mola alexandrini, a subspecies of the sunfish that sports a scalloped back fin that looks like it could belong in a sci‑fi movie.
“When we finally got it out of its little underwater hide‑away on the boat, we had to offer up a crane atlas‑style, because the 1,000‑kg scale was clearly not strong enough,” Ostale recounted. “It would have snapped like a twig.”
The Rescue Rig‑and‑Tension
Picture a boat at sea, a massive crane moving the living giant, and a team of scientists snapping photos, taking DNA samples, all while the fish beats the clock to avoid mishaps. It was a tense scene; everything had to be precise to keep both warrior fishermen and this humbled creature safe.
Back to the Blue
- Ease of release: The fish was gently lowered back into the water Oct 4.
- Immediate departure: The fishermen and scientists watched the sunfish vanish into the 700‑metre depths, leaving no trace other than a heartfelt “thank you.”
In short, a near‑mythical marine creature took a brief detour through the world of tuna netting, only to return to its ocean home among equally spirited plankton. And yes, it’s still a big deal for a marine biologist who’s ever‑so‑likely to keep his cool during the most unexpected of adventures.
