Third sunfish washes ashore along the Oregon coast

The crew at the Seaside Aquarium report a third sunfish (Mola mola) has washed ashore in Clatsop County along the north Oregon coast.

“This Mola mola washed ashore at Hug Point State Park Sept, 21, and it is creating quite a stir,” the Seaside Aquarium states on its Facebook page. “While it has been dead for quite some time, it is still an interesting sight.”

The aquarium reports that the sunfish came ashore at Hug Point north toward the waterfall. Three sunfish have washed ashore since June in Clatsop County.

Two were ocean sunfish and the other one was a hoodwinker sunfish (Mola tecta), according to the aquarium.

“It is not unusual for these guys to wash ashore as they do reside off the Oregon coast,” the aquarium post states. “We are getting more reports because of the stir that the Mola tecta caused when it washed in. It was the first Mola tecta documented in Oregon but that is likely because it has just recently been described and designated as a new species. People are aware that we are interested in documenting these strandings and collecting information from them.”

The most recent sunfish at Hug Point was 6.9 feet long, which is average size for the area, however, they can get up to 10 feet long and weigh up to 5,000 pounds, according to the aquarium crew.

“They feed heavily on jellyfish, which are in huge abundance this time of year,” the post states.