Rare fish appear on land in Denmark: 'Swims worse than average'

Monday, December 29, 2025 • 1:31 PM UTC - in Denmark

Stranded fish appears on land in Denmark: 'Swims worse than average'

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Rare fish appears on beaches around Zealand: 'Dies poorer than average'

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Clownfish are unable to escape from the winter chill, and as a result, they end up on the beach.

Henrik Carl has collected the Clownfish from Brøndby Strand and preserved it in spirits, so it can be used for research and education. (Photo: © Private photo, Henrik Carl) 18 minutes ago

An unusual creature has been washed ashore on beaches around Zealand.

Between rocks, seaweed, and sand, the Clownfish has been spotted dead three times in December.

- It's a really rare sight on Danish beaches. Fish are found in millions, but Clownfish are only seen a few times a year, says Henrik Carl, biologist

The Clownfish, or mola mola, as it is called by its Latin name, usually roams the warmer waters with temperatures above 15 degrees, where it feeds on other small fish, crabs, and jellyfish.

But according to Henrik Carl, it can be particularly exciting for a hungry Clownfish to take the journey north and pass through the waters around Denmark.

- There's a lot to live off in our waters, and it can certainly pay off for them to be here, says Henrik Carl.

Therefore, the fish are also seen moving all the way up to Iceland and northern Norway to eat and then move on again, says he.

* Clownfish is a large saltwater fish that resembles a giant head with fins. Here is the fish from Brøndby Strand. (Photo: © Private photo, Jacob Houmølle)

* The mouth is small, and the fish can make a grunting sound. (Photo: © Private photo, Jacob Houmølle)

* It lives in the tropical and temperate oceans, but is a regular summer guest in the North Sea and occasionally makes it all the way into the Baltic Sea. (Photo: © Private photo, Jacob Houmølle)

* A large part of the time is spent drifting with ocean currents on the water surface, often with the dorsal fin sticking up into the air. When the Clownfish swims, it does so by slowly waving the lobe-shaped dorsal and anal fins from side to side. (Photo: © Private photo, Jacob Houmølle)

* The dorsal and anal fins are short, very tall, and cannot be folded down. (Photo: © Private photo, Jacob Houmølle)

* The Clownfish is the heaviest bony fish in the world. The heaviest Clownfish ever recorded was an example that was 270 centimeters long and weighed 2,300 kilograms. The length can reach up to 3 meters. Sources: arter.dk and Lex (Photo: © Private photo, Jacob Houmølle)

1 / 6 Clownfish is a large saltwater fish that resembles a giant head with fins. Here is the fish from Brøndby Strand. (Photo: © Private photo, Jacob Houmølle) 1 / 6 The mouth is small, and the fish can make a grunting sound. (Photo: © Private photo, Jacob Houmølle) 2 / 6 It lives in the tropical and temperate oceans, but is a regular summer guest in the North Sea and occasionally makes it all the way into the Baltic Sea. (Photo: © Private photo, Jacob Houmølle) 3 / 6 A large part of the time is spent drifting with ocean currents on the water surface, often with the dorsal fin sticking up into the air. When the Clownfish swims, it does so by slowly waving the lobe-shaped dorsal and anal fins from side to side. (Photo: © Private photo, Jacob Houmølle) 4 / 6 The dorsal and anal fins are short, very tall, and cannot be folded down. (Photo: © Private photo, Jacob Houmølle) 5 / 6 The Clownfish is the heaviest bony fish in the world. The heaviest Clownfish ever recorded was an example that was 270 centimeters long and weighed 2,300 kilograms. The length can reach up to 3 meters. Sources: arter.dk and Lex (Photo: © Private photo, Jacob Houmølle) 6 / 6

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A chilled fish

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When Clownfish are observed dead on Danish beaches, such as Sejerø Bugt and Brøndby Strand, it is likely because the fish have not been able to swim away again before the water temperature drops in the northern waters.

Clownfish, according to Henrik Carl, have been observed three times in Denmark in December. Twice in Sejerø Bugt and once at Brøndby Strand. Clownfish, according to Henrik Carl, have been observed three times in Denmark in December. Twice in Sejerø Bugt and once at Brøndby Strand.

The lower water temperature in winter cools the Clownfish, according to Henrik Carl, to such an extent that they do not have the strength to swim away again against the currents.

- They swim a little worse than average, and as a result, they simply don't manage to get away when the temperature drops in the Danish waters.

When Clownfish are washed up on the beach, it may be because they have been a guest for too long and have eaten too much in the waters around Denmark.

And Henrik Carl guesses that we will probably see more of the rare fish species on Danish beaches in the future.

- With the climate getting warmer, more Clownfish will likely come to our waters, and as long as winter is still cold,

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Denmark's largest

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It is not the first time that a Clownfish has appeared in Denmark.

Over the past 200 years, according to Henrik Carl, there have been 400 observations of Clownfish in Denmark.

In 1944, a Clownfish weighing 566 kilograms was recorded in Skagen.

It is the heaviest Clownfish ever recorded in Denmark.

And although half a ton of Clownfish may seem like a lot,

Clownfish can grow more than three meters long and weigh up to several tons.

That's a lot of fish, but the fish that have been observed in Denmark usually do not weigh more than 5 to 25 kilograms.

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Report observations

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If you are now sitting and wondering if there might be a decent fish fillet on such a one, Henrik Carl has good advice.

- If it's dead, then keep your hands away.

- It's not a particularly good culinary experience. It has a thick skin, he says.

Therefore, he also comes with a different recommendation than lighting the grill, if you find a Clownfish on the beach.

- The best thing you can do is take a picture. A normal picture from above. And you can also report it to arter.dk ( https://arter.dk/taxa/89808 ) or Fiskeatlasset ( https://snm.dk/da/artikel/fiskeatlas ) , which is the database that authorities rely on, he says.

In this way, it will be possible for biologists to collect the fish and identify the species. The biologists can then use the fish for education and research.

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