By , Ecologist and the founder and executive director of Turtle Island Restoration Network
A Hoodwinker Sunfish, a species first described in 2017 and originally thought to live in the temperate waters of the southern hemisphere, washed up on an Oregon Beach in June 2024 according to the Seaside Aquarium. The fish is related to the better known Ocean Sunfish, also called a Mola Mola found in all the world’s temperate and tropical oceans.
On June 3rd a 7.3-foot (221cm) hoodwinker sunfish washed ashore on Gearhart beach, just north of Seaside, Oregon. Photo credit: TiffanyBoothe/SeasideAquarium
The Hoodwinker Sunfish that washed up in Oregon, was enormous measuring in at 7.3-ft, possibly the largest one ever recorded for this species.
This species has apparently also recently washed ashore in California and Alaska, according to an article in the Guardian suggesting that it may be more widely dispersed than originally believed.
Programs: Oceans
