Tropical Fish Turns Up During Unusual Find On Ore. Coast

November 27, 2006

Release from: Antonia Giedwoyn
KGW.com

SEASIDE, Ore. - A tropical fish turned up along the Oregon Coast, beached and partially covered in snow, Seaside Aquarium staff said Monday.

The ocean sun fish, also know as Mola mola, is found in tropical and temperate waters worldwide. However, the species is not entirely uncommon to this area, said aquarium manager Keith Chandler.

“They usually frequent the northern coast in the summer or fall when the ocean is a bit warmer, so for the Mola mola to wash in during this time of year is a bit odd,” he said.

Because the sun fish lives “a ways off shore,” according to Chandler, it isn’t often spotted on the beach.

The fish can reach lengths of 10 feet and weigh as much as 3,000 pounds. The one found on Sunset Beach only measured about three feet.

“These are unique fish that feed on jellyfish and seem to spend most of their time basking in the sun, lazily floating along the ocean's surface,” Chandler said.

The beach where the sun fish was found was also littered with bull kelp, one of the largest species of kelp in the world.

“They can grow over five inches a day and over 80 feet in a year,” Chandler said.

Kelp are common to the Oregon Coast.