Whilst not strictly found on the shorelines of Fair Isle, this month we have had a very exciting species sighted in the seas of Fair Isle…a sunfish (Mola mola)!

This large individual (thought to be at least 1.5 metre across) was spotted off Skervallie, drifting north. There are two previous Fair Isle records of sunfish (Mola mola) to date, one in the summer of the 1960’s spotted off Lerness and one seen from the islander plane in the Fair Isle-Shetland channel in the early summer of c2012.

Sunfish are oceanic species commonly distributed within the east Atlantic, Scandinavia to South Africa. They are a summer visitor to British waters to feed on jellyfish and salps. Sunfish are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, however there is insufficient data available on a regional level to judge their conservation status.

As observed here, sunfish are often seen resting on their sides at the surface of the ocean thought to be basking in the sun, giving them their name. Their scientific name Mola mola means millstone in latin – inspired by their characteristic large, flat circular body shape. They have two small pectoral fins (which you can see clearly in one of the images) as well as an anal fin and an elongated dorsal fin. They also have an appendage known as a ‘clavus’ rather than a tail, which acts like a rudder to help them steer and change direction.

credit: Alex Penn