Dead sunfish found in Talisay City shores

A LARGE sunfish was found by fishermen in the waters off barangay Poblacion, Talisay City at 1 a.m yesterday.

“Nagtuo mi manananggal nga natugpa sa dagat pero pag pasiga sa flashlight isda man diay mao na nga amung gikuha (We thought it was a monster we found in the sea but when we shone a flashlight on it, it was a fish so we got it to shore)” fisherman Paul Tabelon said.

Tabelon said he and some friends were drinking when one of them heard someone asking for assistance.

The fish weighed 140 kilograms and measured 173 cm long (5.6 feet) and 78 cm wide (2.5 feet).

It had skin and fins like a shark. Dr. Jeniffe Cabarubias, representative of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) identified the creature as a sunfish.

Tabelon said they saw some bruises on the sunfish’s head that they suspect may have caused its death.

Tabelon said they placed the fish on a bamboo table and considered cutting it up and dividing the pieces among themselves to bring home for food.

But he said they hesitated since they didn’t know what it was. City Councilor Danny Caballero heard about the discovery of the fish and called BFAR for assistance.

Dr. Cabarubias measured the creature and brought it to Caballeros home for dissection. Cabarubias said her initial findings showed parasites on the fish’s internal organs.

She advised fisherfolk not to eat the fish and bury it instead. Caballero had the fish buried in a lot near his home.

“The residents asked if they can cook it as their viand but BFAR (advised against it),” Caballero said in Cebuano.

Dr. Cabarubias said sunfish or mola are found in both temperate and tropical oceans around the world.

Caballero said he will file a a resolution commending the fisherfolk for turning over the sunfish to the BFAR. /Gabriel C. Bonjoc, Correspondent