Characterized by their flattened body shape and huge bodies that can be over 2 meters (6.56 feet) long and weigh over 2 tons (4000 pounds), sunfish dive into the deep sea to feed, and when their bodies cool, they rise to the surface to recover their body temperature. At this time, there is no end to the number of accidents in which sunfish that have risen near the surface collide with boats.
In a yacht race held off the coast of Sydney, a yacht and a sunfish collided, causing numerous damages to racers and yachts. There have also been cases where a sunfish has been caught in the screw of a large ship, causing the sunfish to be torn apart, or where navigation has become extremely dangerous because of the sunfish's entanglement in the screw propeller.
What can humanity do to address this problem? Change routes or reduce flights in areas where the frequency of collisions with marine life is high. Ideas include improving marine life detection technology and attaching guards to ship screw propellers. And if collisions unfortunately occur, data would need to be collected and studied for better countermeasures.
As human use of the seas increases, the number of collisions with marine life is increasing. This is a problem that cannot be overlooked from the standpoint of damage to marine life, damage to ships, and the safety of those on board.
