Video: Sunfish stuck in shallow water rescued by Florida deputies: ‘It’s like watching a Roomba’
Deputies rescue sunfish
Deputies with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office rescued a sunfish that swam too close to shore and got stuck.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - A sunfish is back in the ocean where it belongs after getting stuck in shallow water in Volusia County.
Mola mola rescue
The backstory:
Deputies with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office recently freed a mola mola after it swam too close to shore and got stuck.
Bodycam video from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office shows the fish trying to get loose but to no avail.
In the video, you can hear the deputy say," He’s paddling with his bottom fin trying to go forward."
A deputy with the Volusia County Sheriff's Office helped free a sunfish that got stuck in shallow water. Image is courtesy of the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.
As the deputy tries pulling the fish, he says it is slimier than he thought it would be but notes that parts of the fish are rough like spiky sandpaper.
He’s seen tying a rope around the fish and pulling it along with another deputy, finally managing to move the fish.
Once the fish was freed, the deputy said, "It’s like watching a Roomba," as it made its way back into deeper waters.
What is a mola mola?
Dig deeper:
A mola mola is an ocean sunfish.
According to National Geographic, the mola are the heaviest of all the bony fish, with large specimens reaching 14 feet vertically and 10 feet horizontally and weighing nearly 5,000 pounds.
They are clumsy swimmers, waggling their large dorsal and anal fins to move and steer with their clavus. Their food of choice is jellyfish, though they will eat small fish and huge amounts of zooplankton and algae as well. They are harmless to people, but can be very curious and will often approach divers.
Their population is considered vulnerable.
Sunfish frequently get snagged in drift gill nets and can suffocate on sea trash, like plastic bags, which resemble jellyfish.
The Source: This story was written with information provided by the Volusia County Sheriff's Office and National Geographic.
STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA:
- Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV
- Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android
- Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines
- Download the SkyTower Radar app
- Sign up for FOX 13’s daily newsletter