During a routine aerial survey for marine wildlife carried out last Thursday off the most south-western tip of Cornwall, researchers from the University of Exeter’s School of Biosciences, the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) and Cornwall Wildlife Trust counted 19 sunfish in two hours, while the same survey two weeks earlier did not record any.

The ocean sunfish (Mola mola), which can grow up to 3.1m and weigh over 2.2 tonnes, feed mainly on jellyfish and their name refers to their habit of lying at the sea surface on their side as if sunbathing. Sunfish are generally thought to be a warm water species, but in recent years, sunfish have been recorded more frequently in UK waters during the summer and are thought to be an indication of the rising temperatures of UK seas.

“This sudden influx of these beautiful, giant fish was a fantastic surprise. We only spotted the sunfish lying on their side at the surface so there may have been more below the waves,” said Dr Brendan Godley, senior lecturer at the University of Exeter Cornwall Campus. “This is the first time we have spotted them during our surveys and we think they have arrived here in order to take advantage of anticipated jellyfish blooms as the summer sea temperatures rise.”

The monthly surveys are coordinated by staff from the University of Exeter’s Cornwall Campus and MCS, and are funded by the European Social Fund with additional support from MCS. They began in January this year and aim to monitor the different species of marine wildlife visiting Cornwall’s waters.

Thursday’s survey also detected basking sharks, porpoises, seals and jellyfish, whereas previous surveys have also recorded bottlenose and common dolphins. As well as understanding the distribution and seasonality of the different species of wildlife using Cornwall’s waters, through the surveys the team also hopes to inform the growing marine wildlife watching tourism industry that is fast becoming a local tourism attraction.

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