Seaside Aquarium reports that another Mola mola has washed ashore at Hug Point State Park and it is creating quite a stir. While it has been dead for quite some time, it is still an interesting sight. If you want to go see it, we recommend heading to Hug Point at low tide and head north towards the waterfall.
Three sunfish have washed ashore since June in Clatsop County. Two were ocean sunfish (Mola mola) and the other one was a hoodwinker sunfish (Mola tecta). It is not unusual for these guys to wash ashore as they do reside off the Oregon Coast. 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 our area, however they can get up to 10 feet long and weigh up to 5,000 pounds. They feed heavily on jellyfish which are in huge abundance this time of year.
Photos by Tiffany Boothe, Seaside Aquarium
