Japan aquarium cheers up lonely sunfish by taping photos of human faces to its tank

Do fish get lonely? Apparently so, according to staff at an aquarium in Japan, who have provided cut-out human companions for a solitary sunfish they noticed had started to look unwell.

The fish had started to look out of sorts soon after the aquarium, in the western city of Shimonoseki, closed for refurbishment in December. The animal, which weighed almost 28kg when it was brought to Kaikyokan almost a year ago, suddenly stopped eating jellyfish and started rubbing its body against the side of the tank.

Aquarium staff feared the sunfish, which had been caught in Japanese coastal waters, was suffering from parasites or digestive problems. One, however, suggested it might be struggling to adapt to the absence of visitors as well as the noise and vibrations made by the construction work.

Their colleagues were sceptical, but the theory proved correct. A day after staff taped large photos of human faces attached to a row of uniforms on the side of the tank, the fish regained its appetite and looked generally more content, according to the Mainichi Shimbun.

“It may have become lonely due to the sudden absence of visitors, which could have contributed to its health issues,” an aquarium expert told the newspaper.

The sunfish had become one of the most popular attractions at the aquarium thanks to its friendly nature. “It’s curious and would swim up to visitors when they approached the tank,” Mai Kato, a member of staff, told the Mainichi.

A post about the sunfish on the aquarium’s X account has attracted more than 12.6m views and comments encouraging the fish to stay healthy. A photo on the facility’s Instagram page has also drawn positive comments.

Most Japanese encounter sunfish, known for their big eyes, awkward-looking shape and distinctive fins, in captivity, but they are still eaten as bycatch in some regions along the Pacific coast, according to the agriculture ministry, which describes them as “chewy and with a texture similar to white fish or chicken breast”.

Kato said she hoped the fish would resume its special relationship with visitors when the aquarium reopens in the summer. “I hope many people take interest in the sunfish, and when the renovation work is finished, I’d like visitors to wave to it in front of the tank,” she said.

It is not the first time an aquarium in Japan has taken unusual steps to ensure its animals have human company.

In 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, staff at Sumida Aquarium in Tokyo said its population of “frightened” garden eels were disappearing beneath the sand with increasing regularity after apparently forgetting what humans looked like.

The aquarium said pandemic-enforced closures had denied the eels regular contact with visitors and made them anxious whenever a member of staff passed their tank. In response, it set up tablets facing the tank and asked users to make calming video calls to the eels on the FaceTime app.

“Here is an urgent request,” the aquarium wrote. “Could you show your face to our garden eels from your home?” it said.