UPY 2025

UPY  Save our Seas Foundation Marine Conservation - Commended
'Raising The Net'
Renee Capozzola

This large discarded fishing net was found laying on the reef at about 30 meters in Kona, Hawaii. Volunteers from Ocean Defenders Alliance, also known as ODA, brought up this net using lift bags, and the net was then raised onto a boat provided by Kona Honu Divers. Earlier that day ODA had also raised and extracted large volumes of fishing line (ultimately filling numerous large buckets for removal) that had been snarled upon the reef. Unfortunately, our oceans suffer from large amounts of debris, which can destroy reefs, entangle marine life, and release harmful chemicals. Many thanks to ODA for helping to clean our oceans and preserve marine ecosystems for future generations.

Judge's comment: I was on my own about this image for a while but I extolled the photographically tight composition with the genuine unposed concentration together with the positive message and squeezed this great working image into the finalists enclosure. Well worth it.
Peter Rowlands