Mola mola strandings on Cape Cod beaches spiked in the last few years

Mola mola strandings on Cape Cod beaches spiked in the last few years

Source: Cape Cod Times

12/27/2022

There have been 108 Mola mola strandings on Cape Cod this year, according to Carol “Krill” Carlson, whale biologist and part-time visiting lecturer at Bridgewater State University. Strandings of the giant fish have been increasing since Carlson and her New England Coastal Wildlife Association began keeping records in 2005.

On Monday, a small 500-pound male washed up on Howes Beach in Dennis. On Tuesday another washed up on Corporation Beach in Dennis. Volunteers with the association responded to calls about the strandings. They are intent on learning more about the fish and trying to understand why the strandings are increasing.