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.
There are fewer than 3,000 spotted handfish remaining in the wild.
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.”
The handfish is on the endangered list, with about 3,000 individuals found in the wild.
Environmental pollution, urbanization are the main threats to the existence of fish.
Moreover, this species’ method of moving like walking, instead of swimming like other fish, makes it difficult for them to take advantage of ocean currents to move to other seas in case the existing habitat is polluted.
Recently, an extremely rare “walking” snapper that is native to Australia was first discovered 22 years ago in the waters off Tasmania. That time in 1999, a diver claimed to have seen this individual. This is the rarest fish in the world, has only been seen 4 other times.
Concerned for their existence, Australian authorities have classified this species as endangered.
But recently, Australian researchers say they’ve seen it again after examining a deep-sea video taken earlier this year at a marine park.
Images from the video show this fish in deeper and wider waters than it used to be.
Previously, the research team thought that the “walking” snapper lived in shallow water in the bays. But now it has appeared at a depth of 150 meters off the wild south coast of Tasmania.
Associate professor at the University of Tasmania, marine biologist and lead researcher, Neville Barrett, said: “This is an exciting discovery and offers hope for the survival of the red handfish. Apparently they have a wider habitat and distribution than previously thought.”