{"id":7493,"date":"2010-10-13T17:50:49","date_gmt":"2010-10-13T22:50:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/?p=7493"},"modified":"2010-11-14T13:39:42","modified_gmt":"2010-11-14T18:39:42","slug":"cape-cod-killing-zone-for-giant-ocean-sunfish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/?p=7493","title":{"rendered":"Cape Cod Killing Zone for Giant Ocean Sunfish"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-003.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7514\" title=\"osfp 003 480\" src=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-003-480.jpg\" alt=\"osfp 003 480\" width=\"480\" height=\"260\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-003-480.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-003-480-300x162.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><em>Giant Ocean Sunfish Strands in Wellfleet Harbor<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\">Sadly, there has been a spate of ocean sunfish strandings and deaths in Wellfleet Harbor and elsewhere along Cape Cod Bay within the last week.\u00c2\u00a0 During this time of year pelagic ocean sunfish enter Cape Cod estuaries, apparently to forage in rich fall tidal waters filled with plankton and ctenophores.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Last week Turtle Journal observed a pair of ocean sunfish foraging in Wellfleet Harbor.\u00c2\u00a0 See\u00c2\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/?p=7465\" target=\"_blank\">Ocean Sunfish Pair Foraging in Wellfleet Harbor<\/a>.\u00c2\u00a0 Wellfleet Harbor and other\u00c2\u00a0estuaries of the Outer Cape enjoy healthy flushing\u00c2\u00a0by as much as a 15-foot vertical tidal difference between the highest high tide (+13 feet) and the lowest low tide (-2 feet).\u00c2\u00a0 The flow of that much water through such narrow\u00c2\u00a0estuaries and along such extensive tidal flats creates a killing zone where these peculiar animals get trapped in the shallows, strand and die.<\/p>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\/\/ <![CDATA[\n   google_ad_client = \"pub-6174531794045772\"; \/* TJ adds, 336x280, created 11\/14\/10 *\/ google_ad_slot = \"5313686105\"; google_ad_width = 336; google_ad_height = 280;\n\/\/ ]]><\/script><br \/>\n<script src=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\" type=\"text\/javascript\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-004.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7512\" title=\"osfp 004 480\" src=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-004-480.jpg\" alt=\"osfp 004 480\" width=\"480\" height=\"437\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-004-480.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-004-480-300x273.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><em>Sue Wieber Nourse Examines Young Female Ocean Sunfish<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>On Saturday a young female ocean sunfish got trapped in Chipman&#8217;s Cove in Wellfleet Harbor and stranded.\u00c2\u00a0 She was likely the smaller of the two ocean sunfish that we saw foraging in the harbor last week.\u00c2\u00a0 Pam Harding, a fall vacationer in a cottage on exquisite Chipman&#8217;s Cove who had been alerting us to large megafauna in the harbor, reported the discovery of this sunfish and another one further along the beach.\u00c2\u00a0 We\u00c2\u00a0reached\u00c2\u00a0the fresh carcass early Sunday morning.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-001.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7519\" title=\"osfp 001 480\" src=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-001-480.jpg\" alt=\"osfp 001 480\" width=\"480\" height=\"428\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-001-480.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-001-480-300x267.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: center\"><strong><em>Documentation of Young Female Ocean Sunfish<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\">We collected morphometric data on this sunfish as she lay in the salt marsh just below the high water line.\u00c2\u00a0 She measured only 5 feet 2 inches from tip of snout to the trailing edge of\u00c2\u00a0her truncated caudal fin.\u00c2\u00a0 Her height from the bottom tip of the ventral fin to the top of the dorsal fin was 6 feet 4 inches.\u00c2\u00a0 The design of ocean sunfish and the way they swim through the water, as you can observe in\u00c2\u00a0our YouTube\u00c2\u00a0video in last <a href=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/?p=7465\" target=\"_blank\">week&#8217;s post<\/a>, poses\u00c2\u00a0substantial risk in the inter-tidal shallows\u00c2\u00a0that swiftly empty during receding astronomical tides.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-005.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7510\" title=\"osfp 005 480\" src=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-005-480.jpg\" alt=\"osfp 005 480\" width=\"480\" height=\"371\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-005-480.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-005-480-300x231.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: center\"><strong><em>&#8220;Truncated&#8221; Caudal Fin of Ocean Sunfish<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\">The truncated caudal fin, also called a clavus (rudder), coupled with the very large span from ventral fin to dorsal fin, makes the ocean sunfish extremely vulnerable as\u00c2\u00a0it swims and\u00c2\u00a0forages in these inter-tidal waters.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-006.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7508\" title=\"osfp 006 480\" src=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-006-480.jpg\" alt=\"osfp 006 480\" width=\"480\" height=\"263\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-006-480.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-006-480-300x164.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: center\"><strong><em>Sunfish Pectoral Fin, Operculum over Gills, and Eye<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A\u00c2\u00a0tiny pectoral fin lies immediately behind the gills which are covered by an operculum, all behind the eyes and the snout.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-007.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7506\" title=\"osfp 007 480\" src=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-007-480.jpg\" alt=\"osfp 007 480\" width=\"480\" height=\"408\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-007-480.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-007-480-300x255.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: center\"><strong><em>Ocean Sunfish Mouth and Fused Teeth<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\">The open mouth shows the species&#8217; fused teeth.\u00c2\u00a0 When we examined her gastro-intestinal track, we\u00c2\u00a0found plentiful amounts of digested food.\u00c2\u00a0 In every regard, she seemed an extremely healthy specimen with no indication of a cause of death other than\u00c2\u00a0being\u00c2\u00a0trapped\u00c2\u00a0in the killing zone.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-008-480.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7504\" title=\"osfp 008 480\" src=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-008-480.jpg\" alt=\"osfp 008 480\" width=\"480\" height=\"392\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-008-480.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-008-480-300x245.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: center\"><strong><em>Young Female Ocean Sunfish Ovary<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\">This ocean sunfish was identified as a young female because of the presence of a small ovary and her overall small size.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-009-480.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7503\" title=\"osfp 009 480\" src=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-009-480.jpg\" alt=\"osfp 009 480\" width=\"480\" height=\"722\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-009-480.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-009-480-199x300.jpg 199w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: center\"><strong><em>Under the Microscope: Female Ocean Sunfish Oocytes<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\">Examination of a slice of\u00c2\u00a0her ovary under a microscope showed healthy oocytes, consistent with her overall healthy appearance.<\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/oocyte-closeup-480.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7568\" title=\"oocyte closeup 480\" src=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/oocyte-closeup-480.jpg\" alt=\"oocyte closeup 480\" width=\"480\" height=\"580\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/oocyte-closeup-480.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/oocyte-closeup-480-248x300.jpg 248w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: center\"><strong><em>Under the Microscope: Close-Up of\u00c2\u00a0 Ocean Sunfish Oocytes<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-010.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7501\" title=\"osfp 010 480\" src=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-010-480.jpg\" alt=\"osfp 010 480\" width=\"480\" height=\"526\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-010-480.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-010-480-273x300.jpg 273w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: center\"><strong><em>Don Lewis Reports Second Stranded Ocean Sunfish<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\">A couple of hundred feet north along the wrack line, we found\u00c2\u00a0the second ocean sunfish, which had already suffered significant deterioration and decomposition.\u00c2\u00a0 This specimen had been dead for some time.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-002.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7516\" title=\"osfp 002 480\" src=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-002-480.jpg\" alt=\"osfp 002 480\" width=\"480\" height=\"462\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-002-480.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-002-480-300x288.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: center\"><strong><em>Documentation of Young Male Ocean Sunfish<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\">This small ocean sunfish measured a mere 4 feet 2 inches from snouth to caudal fin, and 5 feet 2 inches from ventral fin to dorsal fin.\u00c2\u00a0 The eye had already disappeared to predators that\u00c2\u00a0had also nibbled along the edges of the carcass.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-012.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7497\" title=\"osfp 012 480\" src=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-012-480.jpg\" alt=\"osfp 012 480\" width=\"480\" height=\"326\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-012-480.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-012-480-300x203.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: center\"><strong><em>Exposed Bones of Ocean Sunfish Dorsal Fin<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\">Several measurements, such as the width of the dorsal and ventral fins,\u00c2\u00a0had to be approximated because\u00c2\u00a0the skin had deteriorated.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-013.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7495\" title=\"osfp 013 480\" src=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-013-480.jpg\" alt=\"osfp 013 480\" width=\"480\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-013-480.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/osfp-013-480-300x281.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: center\"><strong><em>Young Male Ocean Sunfish Testes<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This small animal\u00c2\u00a0was identified as a\u00c2\u00a0young male by\u00c2\u00a0the testes.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/linnell-landing.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7550\" title=\"linnell landing\" src=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/linnell-landing.jpg\" alt=\"linnell landing\" width=\"432\" height=\"324\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/linnell-landing.jpg 432w, https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/linnell-landing-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 432px) 100vw, 432px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: center\"><strong><em>Small Ocean Sunfish Sliced by Propeller<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\">On Saturday, Carol &#8220;Krill&#8221; Carson had responded to a report of an ocean sunfish at Linnell Landing in Brewster.\u00c2\u00a0 The carcass had come ashore about 2 PM in the afternoon.\u00c2\u00a0 This specimen was identified as a small male and measured between 4 and 5 feet long.\u00c2\u00a0 The location of\u00c2\u00a0deep prop\u00c2\u00a0slices at the top of this ocean sunfish suggests that\u00c2\u00a0a boat\u00c2\u00a0strike was the cause of death.<\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/mola-mola-29-sep-840.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7552\" title=\"mola mola 29 sep 480\" src=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/mola-mola-29-sep-480.jpg\" alt=\"mola mola 29 sep 480\" width=\"480\" height=\"261\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/mola-mola-29-sep-480.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/mola-mola-29-sep-480-300x163.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: center\"><strong><em>Giant Ocean Sunfish Forages in Wellfleet&#8217;s Chipman&#8217;s Cove<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\">Today, Wednesday the 13th of October, Krill discovered another extremely decomposed male sunfish north of Chipman&#8217;s Cove in Wellfleet Harbor across from Shirttail Point.\u00c2\u00a0 And, finally, around sunset tonight Pam Harding reported that she observed another ocean sunfish foraging in Chipman&#8217;s Cove, which she thought had\u00c2\u00a0departed the cove as the tide receded.\u00c2\u00a0 We will all keep a careful watch on the cove in the next few days and weeks as this killing zone continues to claim giant ocean sunfish.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Giant Ocean Sunfish Strands in Wellfleet Harbor Sadly, there has been a spate of ocean sunfish strandings and deaths in Wellfleet Harbor and elsewhere along Cape Cod Bay within the last week.\u00c2\u00a0 During this time of year pelagic ocean sunfish enter Cape Cod estuaries, apparently to forage in rich fall tidal waters filled with plankton [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[824],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7493"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7493"}],"version-history":[{"count":49,"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7493\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7569,"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7493\/revisions\/7569"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}