Photographer captures image of rare fish that walks on its 'hands'
In the dark and silty depths of Tasmania's Derwent River, an unusual kind of fish can be found walking -- not swimming -- along the riverbed. The spotted handfish, which moves using pectoral fins that look like hands, lurks in the murky depths, ready to pounce on any prey it attracts with the fluffy lure above its mouth.
Its cream coloring and dark brown or orange spots blend in with the sandy floor, making the fish hard to spot, and even harder to photograph. This, coupled with the fact that the species is critically endangered, with fewer than 3,000 individuals thought to remain in the wild.
But French photographer Nicolas Remy was determined to see the elusive fish for himself. In 2022, he traveled from his base in Sydney to Australia's coldest state, and dived into the waters of the Derwent which were a chilly 11 degrees Celsius.
An hour in, he spotted the first handfish, but with the burst of his camera flash it was gone. All the photograph had captured was a cloud of silt. Remy realized he would have to hone his technique for this species and spent three consecutive days and a total of nine hours in the river.
Eventually, after mastering a special swimming technique with his flippers that didn't stir up the silt, and using a different kind of lighting device that created a narrow spotlight, Remy got his shot -- a close-up of the charismatic fish, with its "hands" and the fluffy lure in plain sight. The photograph went on to win first place in the cold-water category of the Underwater Photography Guide's Ocean Art 2022 contest.
Remy hopes that his photographs will help to shine a light on this rare species that most people know -- and care -- little about. Using portrait-style photography, he wants to create an emotional connection with the handfish, prompting people to get engaged in conserving the "very strange looking fish."
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26 March 2023
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