Port River Sunfish

 In 1903, the Adelaide Observer reported that Mr Seymour Bagot and a small party of young men were fishing in the Port River. (The Observer, in 1908, reported the incident happened at Schnapper Point).[1] Bagot noticed a fish floating lazily on the surface of the water with a fin protruding, he described it as looking ‘like a shark.’
Bagot reported the incident to the journalist stating,

‘I picked up my gun and fired at it twice in quick succession. It immediately dived, and I headed the launch for the shore. For a time, I lost sight of the queer fish, but it found us shortly afterwards and nearly capsized the boat. Our propellor struck it once of twice; and then I shot again, and this time managed to hit it in a vital part. The chase and kill were more exciting than any shark could possibly have given.’[2]

 The fish was 7 feet 2 inches (2.1 meters) in length; 9 feet 2 inches (2.8 meters) in girth, and length round, 18 feet (5.4 meters).  Each of its two fins measured 3 feet 1 inch (0.94 meters). The distance from the top fin to the bottom was 9 feet 6 inches (2.92 meters). The fish weighed 15 cwt (762 kg).[3]

The fish an Ocean Sunfish (also known as a Mola mola) can weigh between 250 to 2000Kg. They can grow to at least 3.3 meters and as large as 4 meters in size. According to the Australian museum, there are five species of Sunfish found in Australian waters; the Hoodwinker Sunfish - Mola tecta, the Giant Sunfish - Mola alexandrini, the Ocean Sunfish - Mola mola, Slender Sunfish - Ranzania laevis, and the Point-tailed Sunfish, Masturus lanceolatus.[4]

The fish was donated to the South Australian Museum. The Register newspaper reported in December 1903 that,

 ‘Very shortly the enormous sunfish captured in the Port River by Mr. Seymour Bagot, will be added to the collection. This example and a mute swan (one of a number given to the Botanical Gardens by the late Queen Victoria) are now receiving the finishing touches.’[5]

The sunfish caught be Seymour Bagot was on display in the South Australian for many years. Although it doesn’t mention Bagot’s Sunfish, this article, written by Dan Monceaux for the Marine Life Society of South Australia Inc., records modern captures of the Sun fish in South Australia: http://mlssa.org.au/2014/08/09/sunfish-sightings-in-south-australia/



Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2024




[1] 'GENERAL NEWS.', Observer, (26 September 1908), p. 35.

[2] 'A SEA MONSTER.', Adelaide Observer, (18 July 1903), p. 24.

[3] 'A SEA MONSTER.', The Capricornian, (25 July 1903), p. 46.

[4] Kerryn Parkinson, Ocean Sunfish, Mola mola (Linnaeus, 1758), Australian Museum, (2021), https://australian.museum/learn/animals/fishes/ocean-sunfish-mola-mola/.

[5] 'ADDITIONS TO THE MUSEUM.', The Register, (22 December 1903), p. 4.