Sunfish caught in Zamboanga

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greatwolf

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Aarrghhhh, this makes me sad.

Front.jpg


Philstar caption : A boom from a Coast Guard patrol vessel lifts a dead sunfish at the Sangali fishport in Zamboanga. – Photo By CHARLIE SACEDA

Philstar Article

Villager catches giant deep-sea fish
By Roel Pareño
The Philippine Star 02/19/2007

ZAMBOANGA CITY – A rare giant deep-sea sunfish, caught by a resident of a coastal fishing village east of this city, died at dawn yesterday.

The sunfish is locally known as "mulamula" and belongs to the order of bony fishes called Tetraodontiformes. It has a flat, oval body that is taller than it is long due to its large and high dorsal and anal fins.

This particular specimen, 2.3 meters long and 1.3 meters wide, was caught by Rizalino Rebollos at about 1 p.m. Saturday after it beached off Barangay Bolong. It was brought to the Sangali Fishing Port for examination, where it drew a huge crowd.

It took about 10 to 15 people to flip the one-ton sunfish on its side, and a forklift to transport it.

"The fish appeared to be weak when I saw it beaching off the coast," said Rebollos, who immediately informed the city’s agriculture office personnel.

The giant grey-brown sunfish, however, died Sunday for still unknown reasons.

City agriculturist Boy Palacat said it was the first time a sunfish has beached at the Zamboanga peninsula. He said this specimen could have been washed ashore by strong currents since it was already weak.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of this sunfish’s death, he said.

"It is believed that the fish was very old and died because it was already weak," Palacat said.

After the autopsy, the sunfish will be preserved for public display, perhaps in a museum, he added.
 
To bad it died, at least they have a chance to preserve this rare fish in a museum, I would love to see it.
 
That is sad.
They are so interesting. I wonder why it beached itself.
 
aaawww... that IS sad.

here's one in its element

394866324_7a0e25ceef.jpg


i wonder where they go when they die...
 
@iris: sunfish heaven... unless they've been bad sunfish in which case they go to sunfish Sabang Disco :eyebrow:

i heard that the bacteria on a sunfish skin, especially around the mouth area, is very toxic... bad juju to come in contact with it

Jag
 
shugar:
@iris: sunfish heaven... unless they've been bad sunfish in which case they go to sunfish Sabang Disco :eyebrow:

i heard that the bacteria on a sunfish skin, especially around the mouth area, is very toxic... bad juju to come in contact with it

Jag
a sunfish, one of my and myra's want-to-see creatures in a dive. Need to dive outside the PI....

btw nice avatar, Jag.
 
clgsamson:
a sunfish, one of my and myra's want-to-see creatures in a dive. Need to dive outside the PI....

btw nice avatar, Jag.
you're not the only one... and if they're regular in zambo then that's even better right? no passport required :biggrin:

Jag
 
iris_ice:
i wonder where they go when they die...

if they're not eaten by other fish on the surface, they sink to the deep and get eaten by hagfish and other deep-sea creatures.












...or they go to some museum.





jonix saw one somewhere in anilao.
 
boljakool:
if they're not eaten by other fish on the surface, they sink to the deep and get eaten by hagfish and other deep-sea creatures.












...or they go to some museum.





jonix saw one somewhere in anilao.

poor thing.

@penn: bahura to be exact
 

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