126 ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 
OCEAN SUNFISH / MOLA 
NOTES ON THE TAKING OF 
CAPTURED AT SANTA CATALINA ISLAND, CALIFORNIA, BY MR. VAN CAMPEN HEILNER 
AN OCEAN SUNFISH (MOLA 
MOLA) OFF SANTA CATALINA ISLAND, CALIFORNIA, 
SEPTEMBER 3, 1919 
By Van Campen HEILNER 
E first sighted the sunfish about 3:30 in 
the afternoon, basking on the surface of 
the Pacific, some three miles east of the 
town of Avalon. 
I had been fishing for swordfish for several 
days without any success, and for want of some 
excitement I suggested to Captain McKay that 
we attempt to harpoon the creature. 
We ran up to it, and from my position on the 
bow, I hurled the harpoon with all my strength 
at the great tan colored body that flapped lazily 
about in the blue waters. ‘The iron struck near 
the head, a head-on blow, and glanced off the 
tough hide as though it had been thrown against 
a granite wall instead of a living creature. The 
sunfish immediately sounded and for some time 
was lost to our view. In about twenty minutes, 
however, it rose to the surface about a quarter 
of a mile distant and we again approached it. 
This time I threw for the tail and the harpoon 
found its mark, burying itself to the hilt in the 
great mass of flesh. From then on our troubles 
commenced. The Mola sank, taking out all the 
available rope which it strained to the breaking 
point. But by judicious handling of the launch. 
the captain enabled me to regain some of the 
line, and in the course of an hour we had the 
fish up to the boat. 
I managed to get a large gaff into the crea- 
ture’s mouth and another in its eye socket which 
held it close to the side of the launch. But not 
for long, for one of the gaffs straightened out 
and the rope on the other parted, leaving the 
harpoon as the only connecting link between us 
and the fish. 
