Increase in sightings of giant sunfish in Irish waters as ocean temperatures rise

The sunfish is up to 3.2m in length, weighs up to 2.3 tonnes, and is typically found in tropical and temperate waters.

A sunfish photographed off Inishglora, an island off Mayo, last year. Picture: Nick Pfeiffer

Rising ocean temperatures have caused an enigmatic ocean giant to venture north into Irish waters and beyond, almost 50 years of observations off the Cork coast have helped confirm.

A study by a team of researchers from Ireland and the UK has found that ocean sunfish — the largest bony fish in the world — expanded their range in the 1990s and 2000s by more than 200km north.