31st October 2026 – (Zhoushan) A fisherman in Zhoushan, Zhejiang, drew widespread attention after hauling aboard a giant ocean sunfish weighing more than 150 kilograms in the East China Sea and then releasing it upon confirming it was in good condition. The catch, made on 24th October by a man identified as Mr Zhang, was not a target species and was returned to the water after a brief inspection. He said encounters with sunfish in the area do occur, but specimens of this size are uncommon.
Footage of the distinctive fish, also known by its scientific name Mola mola and commonly called the ocean sunfish or mola, spread quickly on social media, where many viewers joked that the creature first looked like a massive rock. Others remarked they had never seen a sunfish so large. Local outlet Xiaoxiang Morning Herald reported that the fisherman occasionally sees the species in the East China Sea but rarely at this scale.
According to popular science sources in China, ocean sunfish are found along the nation’s coasts, including in the broad waters around the South China Sea. Their unusual, laterally flattened shape and habit of basking near the surface have long intrigued observers. Despite frequent predation, the species is regarded as among the most fecund vertebrates, capable of producing vast numbers of eggs in a single spawning season.
