Giant sunfish washes up on Western Australia beach

A giant sunfish has washed up on Lowlands Beach in Western Australia. The fish, which measures about 2.5 meters long, was discovered by local resident Jason Fowler while he was fishing with his family. He initially thought it was a large log because it is unusual to see such a big fish on the beach. Marine ecologist Jason Fowler noted that sunfish are rarely found in the Southern Ocean. They are typically seen in warmer waters like those around Indonesia and Hawaii. The fish can weigh thousands of kilograms and are known for their unique behavior of sunbathing on their sides after diving deep to feed on jellyfish and squid. Fowler expressed surprise at finding this sunfish so far south. He mentioned that the fish's presence may indicate that a warm ocean current is moving southward. This could relate to recent marine heatwave events along Western Australia’s coast, which have caused coral bleaching in several areas. Fowler suggested that the changing sea temperatures might have contributed to the sunfish's death. He also recalled that a similar sunfish was found in the Coorong area in 2019. Sunfish are found worldwide, and other recent sightings in Australia have raised concerns among local authorities and scientists about the health of marine ecosystems.