'Sea monster' weighing 2 tons fell into the fisherman's net

Marine biologist Enrique Ostale couldn't believe his eyes when he saw a giant sunfish caught in the net of a fishing boat off the coast of the Mediterranean.

The 3.2m long fish, weighing 2 tons, is the largest sunfish ever discovered in the area.

"We tried to put it on a 1,000-kilogram scale but failed because it was too heavy," said Ostale, head of the Marine Biology Laboratory of the University of Seville (Spain).

The fish was trapped in a cage attached to a fishing boat before being towed up by a crane.

With its gray skin, rounded grooves on its sides and a large round head, this creature is thought to be a southern sunfish - one of the two heaviest bony fish in the world.

Sun fish caught in a fisherman's net. (Photo: Reuters)

"I was completely stunned. I've read a lot about this creature but never thought of touching it," Ostale said.

After taking measurements, Ostale and his colleagues and fishermen released the animal back into the sea.

Sunfish are currently listed as vulnerable. The European Union bans the fishing and consumption of this fish.