Holy Mola! Ocean Sunfish Rescued From Nantucket Harbor

An ocean sunish, or mola mola, was rescued Monday from Nantucket Harbor, transported out to Great Point on the eastern side of the island and released into the surf.

It’s common for mola mola to enter the harbor this time of year as they travel south, but the sunfish can get trapped, unable to find their way out and end up dying as temperatures fall.

Luckily for this one, it was spotted by the Nantucket Animal Rescue team - Blair Perkins and Rain Harbison - who contacted scalloper Carl Bois, who happened to be fishing in the area where the mola mola was swimming off Pocomo. Bois was able to guide the fish toward shore so it could be transported to the open ocean. 

Below is Harbison’s account of what happened:

“This morning we received a report of a Mola Mola deep in the harbor east of Pocomo Point. Fortuitously, we had a friend nearby scalloping. Many thanks to Captain Carl Bois of Topspin Fishing Charters for taking time away from fishing and herding the Mola towards land so we could get it into the truck and into the open ocean. It was a harrowing rescue throughout. Having no way to irrigate its gills with seawater we had less than 15 minutes to get it to the ocean, but we managed to get it back into the water before it suffocated.

“On our way to the release point we spotted another Mola in the waters at Wauwinet. We went back to check on that one only to discover there were actually at least two. We are monitoring those and are asking for help to keep an eye on them. Its too late to herd them in today, so the possibility of rescue will have to wait until tomorrow. We appreciate any updates on their whereabouts, as we’ve had several other rescues today that called us away from them. Many thanks to Susan Rohrer, Burton Balkind, and the rest of the NAR rescue team!!!”

According to the New England Aquarium, ocean sunfish "are the largest bony fish in the world. An adult can weigh more than 2,000 pounds. They have no real tail, small pectoral fins, and large, extended dorsal and anal fins. They eat mostly jellies and salps and can be found in oceans around the world. While they can dive several hundred feet underwater, they’re commonly encountered basking on the surface. Scientists believe this behavior may be way to thermoregulate, or it allows seabirds to pluck off parasites. Our right whale researchers have described these clumsy-looking fish as ‘wobbling, struggling pancake[s] at the surface.’ When basking at the surface, a mola’s dorsal fin can break the surface of the water. After a few seconds, the fin (and so the fish itself) will lay horizontally against the water until it rises vertically again. That flapping fin can look a lot like a shark fin. Mola mola pose no threats to humans. They are frequently caught as bycatch in fishing nets, and they are vulnerable to eating ocean pollution as plastic bags can often be confused as jellies. Do your part to protect ocean sunfish, sea turtles and other marine animals by using refillable water bottles and recycling or disposing of your litter properly.“