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  • An entangled fish that appears to have died in a floating mass of fishing net, line, hooks and other debris. Photographed in the Indian Ocean. Discarded and lost fishing nets, along with associated gear, wreak havoc on marine life throughout the world. Lethal ghost nets and fishing gear like this float for hundreds, even thousands of kilometers, entangling and killing fish, sea birds, turtles, whales and many other ocean residents.
    dead-fish-fishing-net-entanglement-i...tif
  • A tangle of fishing nets, lines, hooks and other garbage found floating in the Indian Ocean. There was a small community of fish associated with this trash, but also fish that had been entangled and killed. Discarded and lost fishing nets, along with associated gear, wreak havoc on marine life, floating for hundreds, even thousands of kilometers while entangling fish, sea birds, turtles, whales and many other ocean residents.
    ghost-fishing-net-indian-ocean-sri-l...tif
  • This is a juvenile green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) that appears to have died due to a fishing line. The line was wrapped around the marine reptile's neck several times, with a fishing hook lodged in some of the animal's flesh. Most of the flesh on the turtle's head had either been consumed by other animals or had otherwise fallen off, leaving just the skull. The rest of the body was largely intact. I am holding the blue fishing line filament in my left hand.
    green-turtle-killed-by-fishing-line-...tif
  • A humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) entangled by longline fishing gear. This whale was still able to swim, but was very weak. The fishing line had immobilized both pectoral fins, slicing through them as is visible here. The whale was infested with whale lice (Cyamus boopis), and there were a number of large sharks trailing it, including tiger sharks and bronze whalers. Another healthy whale was accompanying this whale, though it was clearly unable to assist. This whale most likely died soon after this sighting.
    longline-fishing-gear-entanglement-h...tif
  • Aerial panorama of Kawana fishing port on the eastern side of the Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. This layout is typical of small fishing ports throughout Japan.
    kawana-fishing-port-japan-aerial-pan...tif
  • Hasegawa-san bathed in the warm light of sunrise while preparing bait for deep-sea fishing, the silhouette of his son working on the foredeck of the fishing vessel visible behind him,
    deep-sea-fishing-suruga-bay-japan-20...tif
  • Hasegawa-san father and son team working on their fishing vessel. Here the son is organizing the day’s catch of deep-sea king crabs.
    fishing-for-deep-sea-king-crabs-suru...tif
  • Exhausted from a long night and morning of fishing in Suruga Bay, Hasegawa-san dozing off on the way back to port
    hasegawa-san-dozing-off-after-fishin...tif
  • Fishing boats moored in Futo harbor, Izu Peninsula, Japan
    futo-harbor-fishing-boats-izu-penins...tif
  • Hasegawa father and son team preparing bait and lines in the pre-dawn hours for deep sea fishing
    hasegawa-father-son-early-morning-fi...tif
  • This is an adult pygmy blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda) entangled in a fishing net. The net was wrapped around the base of the whale's fluke, with substantial net and rope trailing behind. As is visible in this image, rope stretched up both sides of the whale and appeared to be caught in the whale's mouth. I came across this whale in shallow, green, murky water, approximately 60 meters depth. The whale was still able to swim, though it appeared exhausted. It did not fluke, and the netting was not visible from the surface. Sadly, this whale most likely died shortly after this encounter.
    blue-whale-entangled-fishing-net-bal...tif
  • This is an adult pygmy blue whale entangled in a fishing net. The net was wrapped around the base of the whale's fluke, with substantial net and rope trailing behind. Rope stretched up both sides of the whale and appeared to be caught in the whale's mouth. I came across this whale in shallow, green, murky water, approximately 60 meters depth. The whale was still able to swim, though it appeared exhausted. It did not fluke, and the netting was not visible from the surface. Sadly, this whale most likely died shortly after this encounter.
    entangled-pygmy-blue-whale-fishing-n...tif
  • This is an adult pygmy blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda) entangled in a fishing net. The net was wrapped around the base of the whale's fluke, with substantial net and rope trailing behind. Rope stretched up both sides of the whale and appeared to be caught in the whale's mouth. I came across this whale in shallow, green, murky water, approximately 60 meters depth. The whale was still able to swim, though it appeared exhausted. It did not fluke, and the netting was not visible from the surface. Sadly, this whale most likely died shortly after this encounter.
    blue-whale-entangled-fishing-net-sri...tif
  • Hasegawa-san father and son team preparing bait and lines for deep-sea fishing on a sunny day in Suruga Bay, Japan
    deep-sea-fishing-suruga-bay-japan-20...tif
  • Hasegawa-san setting out fishing lines in the deep waters of Suruga Bay, Japan
    hasegawa-san-pre-dawn-fishing-suruga...tif
  • Hasegawa-san preparing his fishing boat early in the morning. Hasegawa-san specializes in deep-sea fishing.
    hasegawa-early-morning-preparation-j...tif
  • Inaba-san climbing back onto her fishing boat after gathering seafood
    ama-diver-izu-japan-201006-0406.tif
  • Hasegawa-san on the deck of his fishing vessel, looking over lines used for working with deep-sea crab traps.
    hasegawa-san-crab-trap-lines-japan-2...tif
  • Hasegawa-san at the helm of while heading out to the deep waters of Suruga Bay to fish
    suruga-bay-deep-sea-fishing-japan-20...tif
  • Sorting through the morning catch in the small fishing port of Futo Harbor
    futo-harbor-japan-fishing-201006-006...tif
  • Hasegawa-san surveying the ocean in the moody pre-dawn blue light, contemplating the upcoming hard work of bringing up traps for giant isopods (Bathynomus doederleinii) set the previous day
    deep-sea-fishing-early-morning-surug...tif
  • Elder Hasegawa-san looking on as his son works on fishing lines
    hasegawa-fishing-father-and-son-japa...tif
  • Atsumaru-san moving the boat to keep pace with his wife in the water
    ama-diver-izu-japan-201006-0387.tif
  • Hasegawa father and son team bringing up and sorting through giant isopods (Bathynomus doederleinii) from deep water in Suruga Bay, Japan. The traps for these isopods were set in the 300m to 400m depth range. The isopods are used for making food like senbei rice crackers, and some are sent to aquaria for display.
    hasegawa-giant-isopods-suruga-bay-ja...tif
  • Inaba-san’s boat tied-up at Futo Harbor. The name of the vessel is Atsu-maru. Inaba-san also goes by the name Atsumaru-san. As is the case with other fishermen in Japan, the vessel is the center of Inaba-san’s life.
    ama-diver-izu-japan-201006-0271.tif
  • Freshly caught deep-sea king crab (Paralomis multispina) on the deck of a fishing vessel. The crabs were brought up from around 1000m depth in Suruga Bay, Japan. Adjacent to the crabs is the bait used to attract the crabs.
    deep-sea-king-crab-paralomis-multisp...tif
  • Hasegawa-san concentrating on bringing hundreds of meters of line back onto his fishing boat in an organized manner. The line was attached to traps set for catching crabs at 700m to 1000m depth in Suruga Bay, Japan.
    hasegawa-reeling-in-crab-trap-line-j...tif
  • Inaba-san getting back on the fishing boat after spending two hours in the water collecting shellfish, happy with the fruits of her labor
    ama-diver-izu-japan-201006-0463.tif
  • This was my first encounter with a sperm whale, a curious juvenile that pinged me with sonar and placed me on its head, then took one of my fins in its mouth. This whale had at some point investigated a longline, as it had a hook embedded in the crease of its jaw on the right side of its body, with fishing line trailing far back behind its fluke. I dived down to take a look at the hook, but the wound had long since healed over, making it impossible to attempt to remove the hook. This image is a film scan. This photograph received the Grand Prize at The Blue Earth Underwater Photo Contest in Japan in 2001.
    sperm-whale-with-longline-hook-in-mo...tif
  • Fishermen in southern Sri Lanka netting small fish, with one leaping off the bow of the boat
    coastal-fishermen-sri-lanka-mirissa-...tif
  • Hasegawa father and son team preparing traps to be set a depths of 300m to 400m for giant isopods (Bathynomus doederleinii)
    hasegawa-san-preparing-traps-giant-i...tif
  • Hasegawa-san with freshly caught deep sea rockfish (Sebastes matsubarai)
    hasegawa-san-deep-sea-rockcod-japan-...tif
  • Hasegawa-san holding up a freshly caught deep-sea rockcod (Sebastes matsubarai), called akou-dai in Japanese.
    hasegawa-san-deep-sea-rockcod-japan-...tif
  • Inaba-san, the last active Ama diver in Futo harbor, searching for shellfish. The hose supplies air to her, as well as audio communication with her husband, who is on the boat. Inside the yellow net basket are Turbo sazae sea snails, which are a popular food item in Japan.
    ama-diver-izu-japan-201006-0074.tif
  • Inaba-san, the last active Ama diver in Futo harbor, making her way across the rocks as she looks for Turbo sazae sea snails, with bad weather moving in overhead, lowering light levels and visibility
    ama-diver-izu-japan-201006-0330.tif
  • Inaba-san, the last active Ama diver in Futo harbor, crouching down on the rocks and thinking about what to do as bad weather moves in and reduces visibility
    ama-diver-izu-japan-201006-0313.tif
  • Inaba-san husband and wife Ama diver team departing for a few hours of work at sea
    ama-diver-izu-japan-201006-0512.tif
  • Inaba-san, the only remaining Ama diver in Futo harbor, getting ready to go into the ocean for work. The metal tool in her hand is used to pry shells from the rocks. She keeps what she gathers in the yellow net, which can be brought up to the surface by her husband and exchanged for a new net while she is still submerged. The hoses supply air and facilitate voice communication to ensure coordination between the husband and wife team.
    ama-diver-izu-japan-201006-0331.tif
  • Inaba-san, husband and wife, preparing for a day at sea. The husband captains their boat and maintains the hookah system, while the wife forages in the water. The wife is the last Ama diver in Futo harbor.
    ama-diver-izu-japan-200904-0139.tif
  • Front view of a freshly caught giant isopod (Bathynomus doederleinii) brought up from a depth of 300m to 400m in Suruga Bay, Japan. From this angle, the crustacean’s two pairs of antennae are clearly visible.
    giant-isopod-bathynomus-doederleinii...tif
  • Inaba-san, the last active Ama diver in Futo harbor, searching for shellfish. The hose supplies air to her, as well as audio communication with her husband, who is on the boat. Inside the yellow net basket are Turbo sazae sea snails, which are a popular food item in Japan.
    ama-diver-izu-japan-201006-0071.tif
  • Inaba-san, the last active Ama diver in Futo harbor, searching for shellfish. The hose supplies air to her, as well as audio communication with her husband, who is on the boat. Inside the yellow net basket are Turbo sazae sea snails, which are a popular food item in Japan.
    ama-diver-izu-japan-201006-0023.tif
  • Inaba-san holding an edible gastropod she collected in the ocean, with more in the basket below. This Turbo sazae sea snail is a popular food item in Japan. It was misclassified as Turbo cornutus from 1786 until 2017.
    ama-diver-izu-japan-201006-0369.tif
  • Inaba-san, the only remaining Ama diver in Futo harbor, getting ready to go into the ocean for work. The metal tool in her hand is used to pry shells from the rocks. She keeps what she gathers in the yellow net, which can be brought up to the surface by her husband and exchanged for a new net while she is still submerged. The hoses supply air and facilitate voice communication to ensure coordination between the husband and wife team.
    ama-diver-izu-japan-201006-0333.tif
  • Inaba-san donning her mask and breathing hose before going into the ocean to work
    ama-diver-izu-japan-201006-0310.tif
  • Inaba-san cleaning her face mask in preparation for going to work underwater
    ama-diver-izu-japan-201006-0306.tif
  • Inaba-san putting on her wetsuit and other gear to go into the ocean
    ama-diver-izu-japan-201006-0286.tif
  • Inaba-san husband and wife team chatting before heading to sea
    ama-diver-izu-japan-200904-0143.tif
  • Inaba-san warming up in front of a fire before heading to sea. She is the last active Ama diver in Futo Harbor, Izu Peninsula, Japan.
    ama-diver-izu-japan-200904-0066.tif
  • Hasegawa-san working the lines while bringing up crab traps from a depth of 1000 meters in Suruga Bay, Japan
    hasegawa-san-crab-trap-lines-japan-2...tif
  • Hasegawa-san with a freshly caught species of deep-sea king crab (Lithodes turritus), known as hari-ibaragani in Japanese. This was caught at a depth of 1000m.
    hasegawa-san-deep-sea-king-crab-lith...tif
  • Shark heads discarded by fishermen on the rocks of an island in the Sea of Cortez
    discarded-shark-heads-sea-of-cortez-...tif
  • Inaba-san, the last active Ama diver in Futo harbor, searching for shellfish. The hose supplies air to her, as well as audio communication with her husband, who is on the boat. Inside the yellow net basket are Turbo sazae sea snails, which are a popular food item in Japan.
    ama-diver-izu-japan-201006-0192.tif
  • Inaba-san in the water, with air hose in the foreground and safety line extending into the background
    ama-diver-izu-japan-201006-0052.tif
  • Inaba-san husband and wife team getting cleaned up after two hours of gathering shellfish
    ama-diver-izu-japan-201006-0429.tif
  • Inaba-san getting back on to the boat after spending two hours in the water looking for shellfish
    ama-diver-izu-japan-201006-0426.tif
  • Inaba-san adjusting her mask and breathing hose before going into the ocean to work
    ama-diver-izu-japan-201006-0316.tif
  • Inaba-san at Futo harbor, Izu Peninsula, Japan
    ama-diver-izu-japan-201006-0056.tif
  • Inaba-san holding the trademark red gloves she uses while working underwater, searching for shells and other edible items. Inaba-san is the last Ama diver in Futo harbor.
    ama-diver-izu-japan-200904-0086.tif
  • Inaba-san looking out from the window of the hut she uses to prepare for work, assessing conditions to decide whether to go out to sea. Inaba-san is the last Ama diver in Futo harbor.
    ama-diver-izu-japan-200904-0069.tif
  • Inaba-san lighting a fire to warm up in the morning prior to heading to sea. Inaba-san is the last Ama diver working in Futo Harbor
    ama-diver-izu-japan-200904-0016.tif
  • Senbei rice crackers made with giant isopods (Bathynomus doederleinii) available for purchase at a popular seafood market frequented by tourists
    giant-isopod-senbei-rice-crackers-fo...tif
  • Inaba-san carrying a net nearly filled with Turbo sazae sea snails. Once the net is full, she signals to her husband on the boat, who pulls the net up and sends down an empty net
    ama-diver-izu-japan-201006=0162.tif
  • Inaba-san, the last active Ama diver in Futo harbor, searching for shellfish. The hose supplies air to her, as well as audio communication with her husband, who is on the boat. Inside the yellow net basket are Turbo sazae sea snails, which are a popular food item in Japan.
    ama-diver-izu-japan-201006-0171.tif
  • Inaba-san captains the boat that he and his wife use as a platform for his wife’s diving. His wife is the last working Ama diver in Futo harbor. Here, he is surveying the ocean before heading out.
    ama-diver-izu-japan-200904-0134.tif
  • Felix the Cat matches that Inaba-san uses to light her warming fire each day before heading to sea
    ama-diver-izu-japan-200904-0114.tif
  • Hasegawa-san setting crab traps for deep-sea king crabs in Suruga Bay. Here he is throwing a newly baited trap into the water as part of a series of twenty connected traps.
    hasegawa-san-throwing-deep-sea-crab-...tif
  • A minipizza batfish (Halieutaea stellata) settling on the seafloor before descending back to depth after being released from a fishing net. When stationary like this, these fish perch on their fins almost as if they were using legs. These fish are usually found between 50m and 400m depth.
    minipizza-batfish-halieutaea-stellat...tif
  • Top-down view of a Halieutaea stellata, sometimes called a minipizza batfish, for reasons that are obvious when viewed from this perspective. These fish are deepwater residents, found between 50m and 400m. This one was caught in a fishing net and released.
    minipizza-batfish-halieutaea-stellat...tif
  • A starry handfish (Halieutaea stellata) descending back to depth after being released from a fishing net. These fish are usually found between 50m and 400m depth.
    starry-handfish-halieutaea-stellata-...tif
  • Frontal view of a minipizza batfish (Halieutaea stellata) that has settled on the ocean floor after being released from a fishing net. These ood-looking fish are usually found between 50m and 400m depth.
    minipizza-batfish-halieutaea-stellat...tif
  • A minipizza batfish (Halieutaea stellata) descending back to depth after being released from a fishing net. These fish are usually found between 50m and 400m depth.
    minipizza-batfish-halieutaea-stellat...tif
  • A minipizza batfish (Halieutaea stellata) descending back to depth after being released from a fishing net. These fish are usually found between 50m and 400m depth.
    minipizza-batfish-halieutaea-stellat...tif
  • Blakiston’s Fish Owl (Bubo blackistoni) at night, with a small masu salmon (Oncorhynchus masou masou), also known as yamame, in its mouth. Photographed in Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan. This owl is wild, but is habituated to people and is fed daily.
    endangered-blakistons-fish-owl-bubo-...tif
  • Banggai cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni) with hatchlings in its mouth. This is one of only two known fish species whose babies return to the parents at night. The other species is the convict fish (Pholidichthys leucotaenia). Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia.
    endangered-Banggai-cardinalfish-Pter...tif
  • Blakiston’s Fish Owl (Bubo blackistoni) at night, with a small masu salmon (Oncorhynchus masou masou), also known as yamame, in its mouth. Photographed in Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan. This owl is accustomed to people and is fed daily.
    endangered-blakistons-fish-owl-bubo-...tif
  • Blakiston’s Fish Owl (Bubo blackistoni) at night. Photographed in Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan. This owl is accustomed to people and is fed daily.
    endangered-blakistons-fish-owl-bubo-...tif
  • Manta rays for sale at the morning fish market in Mirissa, Sri Lanka. Many mantas and mobula rays are landed each day at this small port, primarily to supply the growing gill raker trade, which is targeting rays around the world to supply powders and potions to consumers in Asia who believe that gill rakers have medicinal powers.
    manta-rays-fish-market-mirissa-sri-l...tif
  • Large school of thousands of crescent-tail bigeye fish (Priacanthus hamrur) in deep water, swarming over sand and coral bottom at the entrance to Tiputa Pass in Rangiroa, Tahiti
    crescent-tail-bigeyes-priacanthus-ha...tif
  • Developing eggs of a hairchin goby (Sagamia geneionema). Though still early in development, individual transparent fish embryos are visible attached to the yellow-orange yolk sacs.
    hairchin-goby-eggs-developing-embryo...tif
  • Healthy cabbage coral (Turbinaria reniformis) formation surrounded by basslets, damsels and other tropical reef fish. Photographed at about 15 meters depth on a dive site near Normanby Island in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea that we named Julian's Cabbage Patch because there was so much cabbage coral.
    cabbage-coral-turbinaria-reniformis-...tif
  • A gigantic, unbroken sea fan with swarming Anthias at Ashmore Reef in Australian waters in the Coral Sea. The first time we dived this site, I fell in love with the area because there were so many large, unspoiled sea fans like this one, and the reef was teeming with millions of small fish. Captain Craig DeWit of MV Golden Dawn was nice enough to name the dive site Wu Wu Wall for me.
    sea-fan-anthias-basslets-wu-wu-wall-...tif
  • Female olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) recovering at the surface after being cut free from entanglement in a very large ghost fishing net in the Indian Ocean. After we cut the lines and released her, she swam toward me, letting me stroke her shell as she regained her composure. Her swimming was weak, particularly her rear left flipper, which had been the most entangled part of her body. She was eventually able to dive beyond visible depth.
    olive-ridley-turtle-after-being-free...tif
  • Passengers aboard a recreational fishing boat enjoying the show put on by humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) bubble-net feeding in Chatham Strait, Alaska.
    humpback-whales-bubble-net-feeding-c...tif
  • This is a blacktip reef shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus) slicing through shallow water in pursuit of sardines, some of which can be seen jumping into the air to avoid being caught. This occurred in the early morning, usually commencing just before sunrise, when large schools of the baitfish gathered in shallow water. Several species worked together to herd and catch the fish. In the water, trevallies and blacktip reef sharks herded the fish, forcing them into concentrated groups. From the air, brown boobies and terns hovered. The predators coordinated their attacks, usually with trevallies making high-speed runs through the groups of fish. This caused panic, sending the sardines in every direction. Blacktip reef sharks then charged in, chasing sardines into shallow water and sometimes onto shore, while boobies and terns picked off fish at the surface, separated from the other fish. This action was rapid, often resulting in sweeping waves of panicked fish washing down the length of the shoreline. Here, the sun has just come up over the horizon. The action usually slowed down and stopped within 20-30 minutes after sunrise.
    blacktip-reef-shark-hunting-sardines...tif
  • This is a blacktip reef shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus) beaching itself to catch sardines. This occurred in the early morning, just before sunrise, when large schools of the baitfish gathered in shallow water. Several species worked together to herd and catch the fish. In the water, trevallies and blacktip reef sharks herded the fish, forcing them into concentrated groups. From the air, brown boobies and terns hovered. The predators coordinated their attacks, usually with trevallies making high-speed runs through the groups of fish. This caused panic, sending the sardines in every direction. Blacktip reef sharks then charged in and beached themselves, chasing baitfish onto shore, while boobies and terns picked off fish at the surface, separated from the other fish. This action was rapid, often resulting in sweeping waves of panicked fish washing down the length of the shoreline. Once the sun came up, the action slowed down and usually stopped within 20-30 minutes after sunrise.
    blacktip-reef-shark-hunting-sardines...tif
  • This small fish, likely a species of sardine, jumped aboard our boat when Eden’s whales were engaged in lunge feeding in the Gulf of Thailand. I believe it likely that the lunge feeding technique is suited to hunting this type of fish, perhaps due to density of aggregations and/ or behavioral characteristics. The whales appear to herd fish into ever greater concentrations before lunging through the aggregated fish. The same whales do not seem to do this with the anchovy species in the Gulf. This suggests that the whales apply different strategies for different prey.
    sardinella-prey-for-balaenoptera-ede...tif
  • Strong currents around Bangka Island bring nutrients to support sea fans like this. Note the small group of juvenile convict fish at the lower left part of the sea fan. Juvenile convict fish mimic venemous striped catfish (Plotosus lineatus). These fish were mistakenly called convict blennies and convict gobies, but are neither blennies nor gobies.
    red-sea-fan-blue-water-juvenile-conv...tif
  • Two male Zoarchias major eelpouts engaged in competitive battle, mouths wide open. The fish on the left is ensconced in a hole in the coral, while the challenging fish on the right is fully exposed in the water column. These fish, called ookazunagi in Japanese, engage in this behavior during the spring and summer, presumably as part of their reproductive process. Despite these confrontations, it does not appear that the fish inflict harm on one another.
    zoarchias-major-males-competitive-fi...tif
  • This is what it looks like inside a massive group of spawning Lutjanus bohar snappers. The water is milky blue from the simultaneous release of eggs and sperm by hundreds of fish in this group, which were part of an enormous gathering of thousands of fish. The visibility quickly dropped to nearly zero, with fish swimming in every direction. There were bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas), grey reef sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) and blackfin sharks (Carcharhinus limbatus) charging through the groups of spawning fish. Photographed in Palau.
    lutjanus-bohar-snapper-spawning-aggr...tif
  • This is a 40cm mature male smooth lumpsucker (Aptocyclus ventricosus) watching over a brood of eggs. This species resides in deep water, down to about 1700m. During the winter to spring breeding season, mature fish come up to shallow water. After fertilizing a brood of eggs laid by a female fish, the male watches over and protects the developing young. Adult fish die during the breeding season, the female after laying eggs, the male once the juveniles have hatched. Following extended observation, I realized that the eggs in this photo were not viable. They had not been fertilized and were therefore never going to produce juveniles. The male, unaware of this fact, was destined continue to protect the infertile eggs, weakening day by day, eventually succumbing to death.
    aptocyclus-ventricosus-smooth-lumpsu...tif
  • Part of an enormous gathering of two-spot red snapper (Lutjanus bohar) for the purpose of mass spawning in the early morning. Thousands of fish aggregate for this spawning aggregation. Coloration of the fish seems to vary through the spawning activity, with the fish not necessarily displaying the characteristic red hue of this species. Photographed in Palau.
    two-spot-red-snapper-lutjanus-bohar-...tif
  • This is a large male hairy frogfish (Antennarius striatus) with his esca, or lure, extended to entice prey. The esca is situated at the end of a long rod called the illicium, which is the fish’s front-most dorsal fin. The white hair-like protrusions of the fish’s body are small skeleton shrimp (Caprellidae), clearly visible at 100% magnification. This photograph was taken five days prior to this fish spawning with a smaller female.
    antennarius-striatus-striated-frogfi...tif
  • This is a pair of hairy frogfish (Antennarius striatus) that have just spawned. The orange fish in the foreground is the male, the lighter fish in the background the female. The fertilized egg raft is visible between the two fish.
    antennarius-striatus-striated-frogfi...tif
  • These are developing eggs of fat greenling (Hexagrammos otakii) fish, each egg measuring around 3mm. The juvenile fish are developed enough that their spinal cords and eyes are clearly visible. At this stage, the unhatched fish are mobile, twisting and turning inside their eggs from time to time. Photographed at a magnification of four times life-size.
    hexagrammos-otakii-developing-embryo...tif
  • This is a female Zoarchias major eelpout approaching another one that has occupied a hole in the reef. The aggressor has clamped her mouth on the occupying fish in an attempt to intimidate and force her out of the hole. Individuals of this species engage in such battles over holes while they are in shallow waters. Females and males alike intimidate both females and males in a continual process of claiming and losing holes. The holes themselves are often those used by blennies, which have been displaced by these fish, but return to the holes once these fish disappear. The purpose of these battles is not clear.
    zoarchias-major-eelpout-females-figh...tif
  • This is a male fat greenling (Hexagrammos otakii) opening his mouth, which is a behavior that many fish exhibit. This individual was watching over several clutches of developing eggs, which were situated behind the fish and thus obscured from view in this image. The brilliant yellow-orange hue is indicative of breeding season. These fish are normally drab in color.
    hexagrammos-otakii-fat-greenling-pro...tif
  • This is a large male hairy frogfish (Antennarius striatus) opening his mouth. Frogfishes exhibit this type of yawning behavior relatively frequently. In this image, the frogfish's illicium (rod) and esca (lure) are folded back and tucked away on top of the fish's head, comprising the front-most of three dorsal fins. The white hair-like protrusions on the fish's body are small amphipods known as skeleton shrimp (Caprellidae). This photograph was taken three days prior to this fish spawning with a smaller female.
    antennarius-striatus-striated-frogfi...tif
  • This is a pair of hairy frogfish (Antennarius striatus) just starting to spawn. The orange fish in on the left is the male, the lighter fish on the right the female. The egg raft is visible between the two fish, just starting to be released by the female. Also, at 100% magnification, there is what appears to be the beginning of white fluid being emitted by the male. This might be the sperm.
    antennarius-striatus-striated-frogfi...tif
  • This image depicts a juvenile smooth lumpsucker (Aptocyclus ventricosus) hiding inside Colpomenia sinuosa algae. From this angle, the fish is upside-down, with its ventral surface clinging to the inside of the algae, providing a clear view of the fish’s characteristic adhesive disk, which has evolved from modified pectoral fins. The fish is about seven millimeters long.
    aptocyclus-ventricosus-juvenile-smoo...tif
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Tony Wu Underwater Photography

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