Photographer captures image of rare fish that walks with finned “hands”

In the dark, muddy depths of Tasmania’s Derwent River, an unusual type of fish can be found walking – not swimming – along the riverbed. The spotted handfish, which move using pectoral fins that look like hands, lurk in the murky depths, ready to pounce on any prey it lures with the fluffy bait above its mouth.

Their cream coloring and dark brown or orange spots blend in with the sandy bottom, making the fish hard to spot and even harder to photograph. That, along with the fact that the species is critically endangered, with fewer than 3,000 individuals left in the wild.

But French photographer Nicolas Remy was determined to see the elusive fish for himself. In 2022, he traveled from his home base in Sydney to Australia’s coldest state and dove into the waters of the Derwent, which were 11 degrees Celsius.

An hour later he spotted the first spotted handfish, but with his camera flash it was gone. All the photograph had captured was a cloud of slime. Remy realized that he would have to hone his technique for this species and spent three consecutive days and a total of nine hours in the river.

Finally, 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 bait in sight. The photograph won first place in the cold water category of the contest. Underwater Photography Guide’s Ocean Art 2022.

Remy hopes his photographs will help highlight this rare species that most people know – and care about – little. Using portrait-style photography, he wants to create an emotional connection with the fish, prompting people to become committed to the conservation of the “very strange looking species”.

Saving the Handfish

Efforts to preserve the spotted handfish and its even more critically endangered relatives, the red handfish and ziebell handfish, are ongoing. The National Handfish Recovery Team plans to revive all three species, which are found in waters off southeastern Australia. Of the red handfish, only 100 adults are believed to remain, while the ziebell has not been seen in the wild since 2007.

“Their low dispersal ability, small population size, and relatively low reproductive output make them susceptible to environmental disturbance,” says Jemina Stuart-Smith, chair of the National Handfish Recovery Team, which points to habitat loss, pollution and urban development as major threats.

In addition, their unique method of walking rather than swimming makes it difficult for the handfish to use ocean currents to carry them away from degraded areas, she adds.

Recovery efforts involve monitoring populations of all three species, restoring their natural habitat, removing invasive species or overabundant sea urchins, and working with aquariums to establish captive breeding programs and ensure populations.

In the Derwent River, the team planted an artificial habitat to encourage spawning of the spotted handfish, which has already shown promising results in stabilizing populations, says Stuart-Smith.

But while there has been some progress, the situation is still urgent and the recovery team needs long-term funding and resources, says Stuart-Smith. She hopes the Australian government’s recent Endangered Species Action Plan, which aims to prevent further extinctions, will help, as the red handfish is listed among the plan’s 110 priority species.

Awareness is also crucial to conservation efforts, she says, and photography can be an important medium for that.

Mark Strickland, American photographer and judge of the Ocean Art 2022 photo competition, agrees. he said to CNN : “By capturing and sharing beautiful images of rarely seen species, underwater photographers can play an outsized role in creating awareness and concern among people who might otherwise not be aware of the plight faced by these species and the fragile habitats in which they live. reside”.