UPY 2025

UPY 2017 Up & Coming - Runner Up
'A migratory alewife swims through turbulent flow.'
Sean Landsman

This image is part of a larger project to document the anadromous (adult growth in saltwater, birth/spawning in freshwater) fishes of eastern North America. It depicts a migratory alewife barreling through the turbulent flow at the base of a fish ladder. This location in Prince Edward Island, Canada has a dam that impedes access to the spawning habitat. Alewife need slow-moving pond or lake environments to spawn in and can only access them with fish ladders or similar structures if a dam is present. Anadromous fishes like alewife transport high-quality marine-derived nutrients into freshwater ecosystems, providing food for all sorts of aquatic organisms. It was very difficult to see the fish moving through the bubbly water, much less time my trigger finger with their movements correctly. It took dozens of frames to get this one image, but all it takes is one!

Judge's comment: Alex Mustard: An eyecatching and novel image of an every day fish, shows persistence, knowledge and creativity from the photographer.