Tom Shlesinger
Checking Out a Coral Nursery, 2019
Eilat, Israel
Category - Change Makers: Reason for Hope
Although the hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) is critically endangered, it is quite common in the Gulf of Aqaba and Eilat, in the northern Red Sea. This sea turtle is one of the smallest and has a varied diet, ranging from sponges and soft corals to jellyfish or crustaceans. Here the turtle is examining a coral nursery known as the ‘igloo’. This artificial dome-shaped reef was built and placed in the sea more than twenty years ago. Soon after the corals were transplanted to the igloo, others established themselves naturally, attracting many species of fish and other marine animals to the structure.
JURY'S DISTINCTION
16-35 mm f/2.8 Lens - 1/100 sec at f/11 ISO 100