Photo of a dead Moray eel on an abandoned fishing line – Photographer Kerim Sabuncuoglu won 1st place in the Conservation Category of the 2021 Ocean Photography competition.

After biting the sharp hook at the end of the ghost fishing line, the eel became even more entangled in the hook as it tried to struggle free. Photographer Kerim Sabuncuoglu said each turn of the fishing line suffocated the animal until it suffocated and died. “The photo shows a fish’s silent scream”

Photo of a seagull and ghost fishing line – Photographer Galice Hoarau ranked 2nd in the Conservation Category of the competition.

The photo was taken in Saltstraumen Channel – Norway, this is a narrow channel with the strongest tidal current in the world. This place is also a biodiversity hotspot and marine protected area, but fishing is allowed. Around this area are scattered ghost fishing lines. According to photographer Galice Hoarau, ghost fishing lines are death traps for wildlife, especially seabirds here.

A nautilus riding on the back of a jellyfish drifting on a piece of plastic waste – Photographer Steven Kovacs placed 3rd in this category

The photo was taken during a trip and exploration to Anilao, Philippines, the nautilus species is often seen here. They move by riding on the back of another jellyfish to protect and save energy. The special thing in this photo is that they move thanks to a piece of plastic waste in the sea.

Other photos honored in the competition’s Conservation Category:

Seahorse clinging to the mask – Photographer Nicholas Samaras

Photographer Nicholas Samaras said: “When we dive in a location regularly, we will observe the changes in the ocean. I often visit Stratoni – a small coastal village on the Halkidiki peninsula of Greece to take photos of the seahorse population that lives there. The biggest recent change is Face Masks – COVID-19 Waste.”

Sea termite fish eating cigarette filters – Photographer Steven Kovacs

This image shows the environmental problem caused by people littering and their harmful effects on wildlife. This sea termite fish mistakenly thought it was their prey and grabbed it to eat. “I decided to intervene and take away the cigarette filter because I was worried it would kill the sea lipped,” photographer Steven Kovacs shared.

Shark and hook protruding from its mouth – Photographer Steven Kovacs

Jupiter – Florida – USA is a suitable place to dive with sharks in large numbers in one dive. However, under human influence, most shark species here bear traces of impact such as fishing lines, hooks, broken jaws or bullet wounds…

Dead fish in ghost net – Photographer Rodrigo Thome

This ghostly net is located in a protected area off the coast of Rio de Janeiro. Photographer Rodrigo Thome said that in addition to the dead fish, there were many other fish trying to escape the net but failed. Even though the net was removed, many fish were exhausted and died. “I used the camera to capture the worst moment of life underwater. The fish trying to escape from the net still haunt my dreams,” photographer Rodrigo Thome shared.

Boats exploiting anchovies – Photographer Nguyen Ngoc Thien

Taken from above along the coast of Phu Yen province, Vietnam, these boats mainly exploit anchovies, a small fish in the ocean. Anchovies and salt are the main ingredients to produce traditional fish sauce in Vietnam. “But, anchovies are a small fish, when we overfish, whales, salmon, seabirds and other fish that use anchovies as food will face starvation and death,” said the author. fake photo sharing.

In addition, in this category there are many photos of rare animals and how human impacts affect the ocean. From there, it helps us become more aware of protecting the environment and protecting the ocean.