UPY 2025

UPY  Save our Seas Foundation Marine Conservation - Third
'Very bad luck'
Javier Murcia

Every year thousands of marine seabirds are caught in fishing gear from all the seas and oceans of the planet, from longlines to nets. In the coastal lagoon of the Mar Menor it occurs very often with several species of diving birds. These seabirds are divers and look for fish to feed on. During their dives they become trapped in nets that they cannot see and die because they cannot breathe: a slow and agonizing death. On many occasions these fishing gears are illegal (such as in this image) and on this occasion an adult specimen of the great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) died. It is a very sad situation.

Judge's comment: A powerful image, where the details truly elevate the composition. The contrast of orange on green, the closed eye of the cormorant, and of course, the fish in its mouth that surely lured it towards the net in the first place. Great photography, sad scenes.
Alex Mustard