Sunfish

[Wasabi]

I had a sunfish drifting next to my boat last Saturday. Initially I thought is was a huge jellyfish, but it clearly was a roughly 70-80cm sunfish on his side about a meter under the surface.

It was at 6 miles offshore.

Was it very unusual or have others seen them as well?

 

[Charlton]

I had a sunfish drifting next to my boat last Saturday. Initially I thought is was a huge jellyfish, but it clearly was a roughly 70-80cm sunfish on his side about a meter under the surface.

It was at 6 miles offshore.

Was it very unusual or have others seen them as well?

been a while since I have heard of one quite a few turned up a few years back

 

[KeithB]

Yeah we spotted one on Sunday about 6 mile out.

 

[on the mark]

I had a sunfish drifting next to my boat last Saturday. Initially I thought is was a huge jellyfish, but it clearly was a roughly 70-80cm sunfish on his side about a meter under the surface.

It was at 6 miles offshore.

Was it very unusual or have others seen them as well?

they often do that, they seem to go in to a deep sleep, they are very much alive though even when lying on the surface.

 

[alcaucin]

as I understand it the drift around the surface to let the seagulls pick the lice off them. Not sure if that's true but I heard or read it somewhere.

 

[Stephen]

Sunfish

Seen one last year, first one and only one I've seen of our coast

 

[alcaucin]

you often see them flapping a fin around which attracts the gulls who then eat the lice, if a gull gets too familiar they will lunge at them and spit water at them.

 

[codhw]

spotted one about 20 years ago during my shore fishing days swimming inside roker pier in the harbour walls never come across one since so pretty rare I would say

 

[Forryfishing]

sunfish

sunfish

we seen one on surface about 10 years ago while fishing on the " boys" we lifted it out the water , had our pic taken with it and let it go ( about 20 lb , 4 miles off tyne

 

[alcaucin]

the ones we see around here are quite small in their warmer climes they can grow to 6ft in length and weigh an average of 1000kg. They are the heaviest bony fish on earth. They usually swim to depths of around 600m and mainly feed on jelly fish. so don't do a Rex hunt if you catch one.