"The Sunfish lives in temperate and tropical waters and can be found where there are sharks."
He adds: "There could be a population of Sunfish in our region or they may just be migratory."
The fish also known locally as mola mola and whose main food is the jellyfish are usually caught using long liners and are delicious.
They are found in many areas including Japan, Korea, Taiwan and the United States.
The 38-year-old fisherman from Mombasaâs Old Town said he and his colleagues were returning from a fishing expedition near Pemba Island last Sunday when he caught the fish.
Armed with an 800m-meter liner, he bravely fought the big catch for several hours before he overcame it.
ARDUOUS TASK
"It was an arduous task subduing and pulling it to shore. My boat used up a lot of diesel and I even thought I had snared a shark," he said.
Instead of allowing residents to feast on the delicious fish, he put it on show at the Fort Jesus gardens where locals paid Sh50 to view it. The money was to compensate him for the fuel he used while at sea.
The fisherman says he first ventured into the sea when he was only seven years old.
"I am a very brave and expert fisherman but I have never caught anything like this. It puzzled me," said Rashid.
He added: "At one stage, the fish appeared to be over powering us but I used my experience to silence it."
