UPY  British Waters Macro - Highly Commended}

UPY  British Waters Macro - Highly Commended
'Lumpy'
Kirsty Andrews

I do love lumpsuckers, both the large bulbous bloated-looking adults and the far cuter tiny babies. Male adults tend to be reddish orange and females blueish, but I have seen juniors in a range of colours. This was a vibrant red and a confident individual about 1 inch in size, safely attached to the kelp stipe with its fused pelvic fins that create the sucker the fish is named for.

Judge's comment: Cute is not a word that springs to my mind when thinking of adult British Lumpsuckers but, as kids often are, this juvenile is definitely that. The contrasting colours and strong composition capitalise on this character’s charisma.
Peter Rowlands