The Fisheries Division here has confirmed that a fish that washed ashore in Coulibistrie on Thursday morning is an Ocean Sunfish.
Otherwise known as the Mola Mola or Common Mola, the Ocean Sunfish is the heaviest known bony fish in the world.
Adults weigh an average weight of 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) and can be found in tropical and temperate waters around the globe.
The fish was found by villagers and caused some excitement as many say they have never seen such a fish before.
that’s why there’s the discovery channel -so next time something like this shows up ‘we’ wont say its unidentified n look like a bunch of ju ju bam bam ,,,
It is not necessary to know every type of foreign fish there is in the sea. It is not a study about fish or writing an exam on them. It is no crime not to know them or about them.
I recall in elementary school, we were taught with pictures all the fishes that are in Dominican waters. This should really be taught in elementary school.
The education I received including reading, grammar, spelling and proper penmanship with a fountain pen (not pencil and ball point pen) was none to compare. This was a preparation for high school.
The Head Teacher (principal) at that time was an expert. He was in charge, intelligent and taught the students very well. The students had respect for the teachers. Parents cooperated with the teachers. It would be interesting to know what the children in elementary schools are taught and how well with discipline.
DNO, never mind these comments. If there is no circus or visiting zoo on island and someone happens to see a wolf, a tiger, panda bear, racoon, zebra, hippo, ostrich or any animal that I don’t expect to be seen in Dominica, please let me know. I don’t want to go hiking and next thing when I turn a corner, an alligator is there basking by the river. I prefer to be informed.
Thanks for the information.
I would be happy to see waht a sun fish looks like never seen one in my life. I know it was a big surprise for the people of Coulibistrie.
Wow!!! What a lot of tension some news (to inform the general public) can bring.
Thank you for bringing the picture to us, DNO. I have gone fishing and never seen such a fish-a sunfish to me was a much prettier fish. This one looks like it crossed with a “pink” pig. It is not a very handsome fella. Does not look edible either…
It is strange to the majority of us, but to those of you well read,National Geographic lovers and other intelligent viewers, please do not stop the information from reaching those of us who may not have the luxury of tv or are just plain ignorant.
Forgive us!!! Even the learned men at the Fisheries Division must be excused for not knowing the names of all the creatures in God’s vast ocean. Maybe they did not do enough Creation History…shame on them!
Kudos to you DNO…we look forward to more informative articles. Lighten up people, National Geographic feature many things which are not strange to us but to the outside world…MARVELOUS
lol my girl u must be a muslim if that fish look like a pig and it dont look edible to u :p
Consider, there are millions of people in the world who do not know what a Sunfish looks like. It should be Sun-fish (Sun fish). They never saw one. It is no big deal about that and nothing lost.
It pays to be honest. I have never seen one. I also do not view Discovery Channel. While it is an interesting and somewhat educating Channel, some of what is shown on that Channel could upset me. Someone informed me about that as well.
Certain articles placed on dominica online are disturbing and people always want pictures which I dont feel is necessary .So we learnt something new today and thats a good thing.
Disturbing in what way? Shocking, ‘Yes’; for a place as Dominica that some people would resort to such criminal activities and give Dominica a bad name.
It is not surprising. Every country has this problem which we also view on TV, read on the Internet and in the newspapers.
There is a difference between DNO and the Discovery Channel. DNO posts the current, factual news as it occurs and of what occurred.
May be you should view Discovery Channel when they are showing snakes as well. Are you one of those who love viewing them?
you sound ignorant….
Apparently everyone is a certified marine biologist. You can’t know everything okay? anyway I thought that the largest “bony” fish was the whale shark? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whale_shark)It’s also amazing because whale have been known to visit Dominican sea’s but rarely since they are so scarce in the world.
Sharks don’t have bone – they have cartilage.
ohh thanks, now I’ve learned something new.
well that was rather obvious……what did they think it was,???
OK people. I’m happy that we are paying attention to the news. I’s a dead fish. My gosh, why are we wasting time talking about the name, appearance, came very early before election. Anyway, personally, i find the comments to be kind of entertaining, lightly ignorant, and somewhat silly. I’m glad that some of us are trying to educate those who do not know. Let’s keep our stress level down. No need to get HBP over this. Ok it’s a sun fish, whatever, we all do not know everything. Never saw anything like this anywhere before. My concern is what killed the fish. Bring in the pathologist to analyze this so we know if we must be aware of any danger to humans. I do not want anyone or more fish being harmed if there is an environmental danger. This is my main concern. Thanks my people.
correction people,,, it strange to our shores … i think thats what they meant
dats why they were excited… -_-…obviously it’s strange to our shores…the people aren’t dumb
But you people does give it to me on DNO wi! Like DNO is allu market place to came and entertain some pointless arguments! LOL!
…And to get you angry… Have a great day and/or sleep well.
If it’s not common to our waters then it’s news worthy. There is nothing to be ashamed or “smh” about.
Relax my DA people; why are we so insecure?? Relax and live!! Life is too short.
As soon as I saw it,knew what it was…sunfish..fisheries division should know these things…they should be ‘that’ educated about the different creatures of the ocean,regional waters and international waters because fish obviously swim,they can end up any where if they don’t Die on the way or they could drift away from there natural waters….before putting a story about a mesterious fish,they should have researched the type of fish 1st then put the add up ‘A sunfish has been found bla bla bla’…but allu so fast,like a bef
‘mysterious’
Looks more like a dead fish to me than a sun fish.
yup definitely sun fish so its not strange at all …
its a sunfish youtube it
This is called a Sun fish, its not strange.
Maybe if you guys would watch Discovery and NatGeo more often you would know that or at lease seen it already.
It is not a Sun fish, as in two words. It is actually an Ocean Sunfish (sunfish is one word)/
You watch Discovery and Natgeo but you remain stupid and want to come and play smart. SMH
I rather he call it a Sun fish…than a strange fish. You obviously know nothing and try to save face by playing grammar nazi. So since grammar is your thing, correct the following sentence for me…i may have made a few errors. Teh litle bick boy jumpde over the likkle bik fences
No need to be rude. Maybe if you had paid attention in English class you would be able to spell ‘least’ and not say ‘ at lease’
Hush, you want to come give me grammar corrections on here. GLORY!!!!someone knows his English Well. This is a blog, not CXC exams which I got a Grade (I) all A’s in.
The point is, this creature is not strange, its a SUNFISH!!!! And thank God some folks like me knew or had an idea as to what it was so that you all can go Google it to come on here now to try play bright.
I hope your good Grammar got your smarty pants a great job. Cause mines sure did.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_sunfish
Dominicans like to criticize too much. Just because you know it is a sun fish does not make you smarter than those who thought it to be “strange”. Anything seen for the first time is “strange” – a stranger. So saying it is a dumb article, based on your knowledge of that “fish” holds no water. In fact, this is a dumb argument.
Stop behaving like you know everything.
You are so right. Even black people when they go to some parts of the world are seen as sytrange, since many people have not seen a black person live before.
‘strange’ live? Whoever is on their two feet and walking is alive.
In this age and with television, I doubt there are any people in the world who travel and who have televisions have not seen a so-called black person – colored.
Keep in mind, black is a color, not a race. So is white. It is a color, not a race. Some people who gave these races (as they also term us) those names have it all wrong and have erred.
@ Justice and Truth
You may think it so, that due to mass media everyone has seen a black person. But that is not necessarily true. I live in a place now where the children find my kids to be somewhat of a phenomenon. I took my children to daycare for the first time this week and just about all the children looked in amazement. They came and touched them and touched their hair and some poked and ran off. One stood and steered and asked, “what is it?” I have only seen maybe 3 other black people here in the last 5 months.
Strange words, strange happenings, strange places and strange surroundings. Strange all around.
Even making a statement could be strange. Ever hear others say (even ourselves state):
That’s strange! Strange as it is I had to laugh.
Strange that you said that.
It is strange that you are here; to see you here.
Strange that I saw you with him or her.
Strange that you are talking to this person.
Strange that you bought this and that.
Strange that you are eating this type of food and drinking this type of drink.
Strange that you are growing a prohibited plant…
Strange that you are wearing this (type of) outfit and shoes.
Strange that you have this type of hairdo; wearing your hair long or short.
Strange that you are employed here.
Strange that you accepted this type of job.
Strange that he/she is your boss.
I find it strange that he/she would say that.
Strange that he/she got sick.
Strange that today he/she is late for work.
Strange that he/she did not get up early – for work.
Strange that he/she did not report for work today.
Strange that he/she left work earlier than usual.
Strange that he/she is driving a vehicle without a license and insurance.
Strange that he/she is driving fast above the speed limit, not paying attention and talking on the blackberry/ cellular.
Strange that he/she got into an accident and was not injured.
Strange that I got carried away with this strangeness of words.
We could add more strange-ness to it. Etc…
It is a never ending strange and strangeness of life.
The fish is a strange occurrence on Dominica’s shore, one which was not previously seen. Strange that it found its way to Dominica’s shore.
Strange, as it may, as soon as it came ashore it died. Otherwise we could sell it, could cook it and eat it.
We could write and sing a song/calypso about that.
So we set our minds thinking. Good exercise. And let our fingers do the walking on the keyboard.
What good did you learn today? Smile, laugh and go on as life…> Have a great day/evening!
looks delicious… all that fish fillet yummi!
its a sun fish n its small compared to the ones i see on documentaries and it was defiantly loss cause it a rear site on the Dominican coast.
Thanks DNO n dont worry bout the stupid comments cause i bet my last dollar 99.999% of the bloggers never saw one in person so its damn well strange
That makes no sense…not seeing it in person doesnt mean it’s strange and vise versa. I’ve never seen a wolf in person but if i see one i wont think it’s strange
u r trying to be smart bt far from it
It would not be strange to people that seeing a wolf every now and then but it would definitely be to someone as smart as you seeing one at your door step in the wee hours of the morning:mrgreen:
Yes, it may indeed be strange in the eye of the beholder. Strange is a relative term. Indeed, the first time I saw a black squirrel it was indeed strange to me. On the other hand it looked quite typical to my husband who was used to seeing them. Let’s keep an objective and open mind. Even in 2001 , in certain parts of Mexico, the native Indian children were touching my hair and skin because they had not seen black people before.
I first learned about wolves reading Little Red Riding Hood. If I saw a wolf on the Waitukubuli national trail it would be the strangest thing I ever saw.
Is it not strange that lately a lot of sea creatures are drifting away from their natural habitats in search of either food or comfortable environment? is it the impact of global warming and polusion, or just coincidence
‘pollution’
hum it’s a japanese fish. Do we remember what happened in Japan?!
I saw some dummies both here and on Facebook giving DNO heat for the story and photo.
Well, I have never seen this fish before and I have lived outside DA for many years. So I am not stuck in Dominica and stupid.
Thanks DNO for this. I learnt something new today. It is a strange fish for me and many others.
We have so many “experts” in this country and yet still we remain among the poorest in the Eastern Caribbean.
I was in agreement with your post until the very last few words. SMH
How about if he had said ‘ignorant?’ What would your comment be?
The article should have read “Rare fish in dominica” or “Rare sun fish beached”. Not “strange fish” When I was contacted by my friends cause of my infinite wisdom to identify said fish on dno that was so “strange”. I was expecting to see an anglerfish…not a …sun fish
If the article had said ‘rare fish’ some idiot would do likewise and say it is not rare, it’s all over the place, blah blah blah.
strange and rare are almost synonymous. The choice of terminology is subjective. In the end, it was strange to some and not to others. We live and we learn.
its a sunfish
THank you DNO. I have never seen this fish before. Because of this story I now know what the sunfish looks like. Keep up the good work
This fish creole name is pwezidan gwo tetais
A.B.K.
its an ocean sun fish people and their not that rear
i think you meant rare. smh
I’m sure u know what the person meant, but ur job is to come on dno to do spell checks yeah
thats a sun fish ppl
We call it here a “Mondfisch” (german for moon fish) :-)
https://www.google.de/search?q=moon+fish&hl=de&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=WKYoUry2FtGRhQfVmIDgDw&ved=0CDIQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=929
Good one Kaors
Mola Mola, aka sunfish.. It’s a very rare specimen.
Sad that we had to see it dead
OMG it’s the little mermaid!!!
Ohh no, it’s just a Sun fish.
hahaha, but it seems like some people have no sense of humor. hahaha, thumbs up for you! who dislike it have nooo sense of humor lol
this is no strange thing. it is a sunfish. this is not the first time a dead one has been found here.
BTW people please remember that there is radiation being leaked into the ocean from China. Soooo we have to look out for any weird deformed creatures of the Sea. this looks like one of them to me…ewwwwww!!
u dat is d deformed creature
LOL
Weird deformed creature. Turn off your tv…or at least put it on a channel you can learn something from
i have seen that fish on the discovery chanel,but thats a very big one.it looks like a (bowce) family with a fin on it back and another under the belly and a very small wing.but have never seen it in d/a.
check some video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37w9ElGrEy
Sun Fish ppl
First time you see, first oppertunity to taste….. Fried, Steamed, sauteed…. better act before it spoil
Sun fish, off the coast of california they get as big as cars
@ Aratzio : No thanks, Would rather my Grand father cat meat cooking skills over tht disgusting fish any day ….
Kitty tastes good too *wink*
every time before election a big fish comin on coulibistrie sea shore…… dat one come well early……
girl stop being so naïve and stupid
@ allu will knw: Boi Dominicans can say things….bahhaahahahaha behave..lol
who knows…. maybe the election is nearer than we think
hey Dno will u please change ur headline? haven’t u looked at the sites suggested to u? r u still waiting for fisheries dvision? my my..next time search the internet first find out first b4 u put ur hheadline…smh don’t b quick to put infomation and u can simply find out what it is all about b4 u put it out to the world.
Its journalism- an interesting and catchy headline is desired. Its not a science project or scientific journal. The story was not meant to identify the fish or present scientific facts, but, rather, to inform readers of a non-typical fish sighting on Dominica’s shore.
Hmmm what an ugly fish I belive someone skin that fish off its skin an beat it up so it looks to me eh
lol zor sot
lmao lol at the comments yal killin me
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masturus_lanceolatus
eat for allu to gan eat dah wii fada u doh seeing how belle dat be…… who cares wa fish dah dere.. dah go do good in a broth
lol
I would prefer that it was stated that a sunfish which is unique to the daily catch of our fisher men washed onto the shores……..etc
lmao…i sure they were saying it was socery..lol..any thing for a story…smh
Strange fish??? this is a sun fish…Please remove this story on the article before people think we’re a bunch of retards here in Dominica. Strange fish? start looking at Discovery channel instead of Basketball wives…strange fish…lolololol
The term strange fish was used because it has never been seen before by the residents, so the term Strange fish has been used in the right context
I saw a strange moth in my room, i should call dno…that is definitely story worthy
ADMIN: Yes, please do. Once it is strange and people have not seen it before, it is news worthy.
hahahahhahahaa
So just because you know what it is and some others don’t that makes them retarded? So in essence, there are some things that others know that you may not know, does that make you retarded?
You may know what it is, but those who discovered it didn’t; as such, it was “strange” to them. Since the article is written from their perspective, it is correct to say “strange fish”. You people have too much pride always worrying about what other people say.
Also, can you name every fish that exist? Do you know every animal that exist? Stop criticizing people just because you know a “fish”. CHA man!
those people with that kind of attitude calling others sot and retarded are the real DUMMY NI CANS
Not saying that things people dont know makes them retarded. Im just saying that fish isnt significant enough to be called “strange”. And no i cant name all the fish in the sea but…i could give you a run for ur money
You make no sense. That’s the first time I’ve seen and heard of sunfish. You know of it but there are others who don’t so stop being foolish.
Is it a sun fish (as in two words?) or Ocean Sunfish (sunfish being one word?)…or you just run a Google search and see something and run with it without even checking the proper name just so you could appear smart…lol
Sun Fish, SUN Fish, SuN Fish, SUNFISH however you want to call it. This fish isnt strange enough to make me need too google, probably if they had done a google search they wouldnt have had to make that a big story…. “Strange fish in coulibistrie” lolol
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opah
J…A.. thats not the kind of fish that was found on the beach. The photo on the website and the one on the beach are two different photos of fishes. Check it out.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_sunfish
It’s called a Mola Mola fish.
DNO have joke so they want to find the identity of the fish lol
Ugly
Its a sun fish!
that’s correct
Wrong. It is an Ocean Sunfish (sunfish is one word)
That’s a Sunfish
more like a night fish cause its giving me nightmares
Lol.sakway sort.you self take me by surprise with that comment lol.
obviously the fish is dead beyond instant recognition, what so strange about that?
hmmm…it look like a deform turtle….it forgot it shell in the sea or something…..
It’s a sun fish
looks like a skulled turtle