Sunfish gets caught in net by fisherman in Marinduque

A fisherman from Marinduque accidentally caught a sunfish or mola-mola in his net.

According to Kim Atienza's report on "24 Oras," fisherman Teodorico Quimora was surprised to see a large flat fish in his net.

"Noon lang kami nakahuli nang sobrang laki talaga nito, hindi kami makapaniwala," he said.

Teodorico and his men let the sunfish go, as it is against the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources' (BFAR) rules.

It measured six feet wide and weighed almost 150 kg.

The mola-mola or sunfish is one of the most unique fish in the Philippines. It is wide like a large plate, with one fin on top and one on the bottom. Their tails are unlike regular fish, as it looks cut off.

"Nakikita natin na absent 'yung caudal tail or caudal fin ng mola-mola," said Louie Bersano, Registered Fisheries Professional from the Davao Del Norte State College.

"Instead, nag-develop 'yung clavus. So 'yun 'yung ginagamit nila as [router] kung sang direksyon sila lalangoy," he added.

Sunfish can also weigh up to 2,000 kg, more than some cars. They are considered as the heaviest bony fish in the ocean.

The appearance of a sunfish on an ocean's surface is considered bad luck, such as fishermen will not have a good catch or a calamity will come, such as an earthquake.

Mola-mola lives in deep parts of the ocean. Some people believe that the reason they go to the shore is because they sense a change in the ocean.

There have not been any studies that prove these, but sunfish going up to land is just normal behavior. They swim up to the shore to sunbathe and get clean from the parasites stuck to their bodies, Kuya Kim said. —Nika Roque/MGP, GMA Integrated News