A giant sunfish has washed up on a beach in Rosemarkie on the Black Isle, surprising locals and experts alike. The fish, which can grow to over 3 metres (9 feet) from fin tip to fin tip, was found dead on Wednesday morning.
While sunfish are occasionally spotted off the Hebrides, they are an unusual sight on Scotland's east coast. The Scottish Marine Animal Strandings Scheme (SMASS) will examine the animal to determine the cause of death, after which it will be handed over to the National Museums Scotland in Edinburgh.
Professor Andrew Brownlow of SMASS noted that the fish's presence so far north could be a sign of climate change and warming seas, but cautioned that a single specimen does not provide definitive proof. Possible causes of death include an attack by a dolphin—the Moray Firth is home to bottlenose dolphins—or ingestion of plastic, as sunfish feed on jellyfish and may mistake floating plastic bags for prey.
Local B&B owner Helen Henderson described seeing the fish on the beach, initially mistaking it for a large, flat rock. The area has seen other unusual marine events, such as thousands of starfish stranded in a phenomenon known as 'starballing' in 2017.
