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36 hours, 137 UW photographers and 1000s of jellyfish… 2017 Monterey Shootout results!

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Backscatter Underwater Video & Photo and the Northern California Underwater Photographic Society (NCUPS) partnered again to host the largest gathering of underwater photographers in the USA. The Monterey Shootout is a three-day weekend of diving, educational seminars, celebration, and a chance to win over $30,000 in prizes even with the simplest of underwater cameras. This year, 137 participants brought their friends and families to share the fun and see what amazing images can be made in a tight 36-hour window of diving. The ocean and weather cooperated by giving us great pockets of visibility, plus the tail end of a jellyfish invasion. New photographers joined the Friday morning seminars with Jim Decker and Matt Ferraro to jumpstart their knowledge on basic photo and video shooting skills. Sunday seminars featured inspiration by professional photographers Mike Bartick and the amazing Erin Quigley on Lightroom techniques. 

ANOTHER GREAT PARTY!

While the seminars and beautiful diving are worth the price of admission, the social gathering is the heart of the Monterey Shootout. Hanging out on the beach and boats with like-minded divers gives cold-water enthusiasts a real sense of community and part of a 30-year history of photo gatherings on Monterey Bay. After two days of diving, over 200 people gathered back to the Backscatter mother ship for a night of celebration and drinks stiff enough to heat up the most waterlogged diver. This is the most welcoming and enthusiastic group of underwater photographers the competition had ever seen.

$30,000 IN PRIZES FROM OUR AMAZING SPONSORS

The Monterey Shootout is primarily a social and educational event but the serious level of prizes is what drives photographers to envision images weeks in advance, make extra long dives to pull off a shot and feel the motivation from competition nipping at your heels. Thus, it’s with great thanks that the organisers’ honor the generous support of all of the great sponsors. Thank you sponsors for motivating cold-water image-makers to new personal bests!

COMMENTS FROM THE JUDGES

This year’s photo judges included Chuck Davis, Todd Winner, and Berkley White. Judging is no easy task, especially when there’s serious creative effort on display from over 500 photographs. While visibility was a bit low, the animals were on full display. The judges were impressed by beautiful images of jellies and local favorite harbor seals and nudibranchs. Selecting the Best-of-Show image was the most difficult decision. It was narrowed down to Roeland Papen’s beautiful anemone image and a perfect jellyfish image from Clinton Bauder. Ultimately Bauder’s jellyfish image was determined to have best captured the amazing experience of diving Monterey this weekend and received the honor of Best of Show award.

In the video judging room, Carl Miller, Matt Ferraro, and Jim Decker had an even greater challenge. As with past years, the top awards teetered on a balance of story telling and traditional image quality, but the quality of videos were at an all time high. This year, honorable mention awards were given to videos that would have placed first in previous contests. Ultimately, the solid and clean macro scenes from Kate Vylet won well-deserved top honors as the best of 2017. Patrick Webster’s comedic story placed second and Joe Platko’s time lapse placed third. However, the creativity of the honorable mentions is inspiring and the comedic story telling of the runners up deserve your attention.

If you want to be inspired, watch all of the Monterey Shootout entries to learn how you can make a video that captures your audience in just 36 hours.

Congratulations and hats off to all who participated in the 2017 Monterey Shootout.

You can see the winning images and videos at: www.montereyshootout.com/event-results/2017.php

Marine Life & Conservation Blogs

Creature Feature: Undulate Ray

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In this series, the Shark Trust will be sharing amazing facts about different species of sharks and what you can do to help protect them.

This month we’re looking at the Undulate Ray. Easily identified by its beautiful, ornate pattern, the Undulate Ray gets its name from the undulating patterns of lines and spots on its dorsal side.

This skate is usually found on sandy or muddy sea floors, down to about 200 m deep, although it is more commonly found shallower. They can grow up to 90 cm total length. Depending on the size of the individual, their diet can range from shrimps to crabs.

Although sometimes called the Undulate Ray, this is actually a species of skate, meaning that, as all true skates do, they lay eggs. The eggs are contained in keratin eggcases – the same material that our hair and nails are made up of! These eggcases are also commonly called mermaid’s purses and can be found washed up on beaches all around the UK. If you find one, be sure to take a picture and upload your find to the Great Eggcase Hunt – the Shark Trust’s flagship citizen science project.

It is worth noting that on the south coasts, these eggcases can be confused with those of the Spotted Ray, especially as they look very similar and the ranges overlap, so we sometimes informally refer to them as ‘Spundulates’.

Scientific Name: Raja undulata

Family: Rajidae

Maximum Size: 90cm (total length)

Diet: shrimps and crabs

Distribution: found around the eastern Atlantic and in the Mediterranean Sea.

Habitat: shelf waters down to 200m deep.

Conservation Status : As a commercially exploited species, the Undulate Ray is a recovering species in some areas. The good thing is that they have some of the most comprehensive management measures of almost any elasmobranch species, with both minimum and maximum landing sizes as well as a closed season. Additionally, targeting is entirely prohibited in some areas. They are also often caught as bycatch in various fisheries – in some areas they can be landed whilst in others they must be discarded.

IUCN Red List Status: Endangered

For more great shark information and conservation visit the Shark Trust Website


Image Credits: Banner – Sheila Openshaw; Illustration – Marc Dando

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Guarding Against Coral Invaders

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Protecting (Dutch) Caribbean Reefs from Unomia stolonifera

Recent reports highlight the concerning spread of the invasive soft coral, Unomia stolonifera, currently devastating Venezuela’s marine ecosystems and detected in Cuba. With the potential threat of its expansion to the (Dutch) Caribbean islands, urgent action and awareness are essential to safeguard marine biodiversity and local economies from possible catastrophic consequences.

Invasive species are animals or plants from another region of the world that don’t belong in their new environment. These species can have major ecological effects by decimating native flora or fauna. They can also cause large economic losses and impact human health. Invasive species also pose a significant threat to marine ecosystems worldwide, including the Dutch Caribbean. Among these invaders is the octocoral species Unomia stolonifera or “Pulsing Xenia”, originally from the Indo-Pacific. With its rapid growth and lack of natural predators, this species can outcompete native species and disrupt fragile marine habitats such as seagrass beds and coral reefs.

Background

The invasive soft coral U. stolonifera was first identified in 2014, off the coast of Venezuela. It is believed to have been introduced via the illegal aquarium trade.  Since this species can reproduce sexually and asexually (or fragment), even small pieces can regenerate to spread.  Once introduced it quickly took over shallow reefs and hard substrate at depths of 0-50 meters, outcompeting local corals and seagrass for space.  Follow on surveys found that this coral species exhibited average percentage cover as high as 80%, vastly outcompeting native corals. In highly colonized areas, fish are disappearing due to loss of habitats.

In 2022, during a survey conducted in Cuba by the University of Havana, an unknown octocoral was discovered which was later identified as the invasive Unomia stolonifera. It is suspected that the coral larvae arrived in ballast water from fossil fuel ships originating from Venezuela, as nearby sites adjacent to Venezuelan ports have been heavily affected by the invasion.

How to help

Prevention through continuous monitoring, particularly in high-risk areas such as marine harbors and oil facilities, is paramount. Early detection plays a pivotal role in mitigating the threat posed by Unomia stolonifera.

The public’s involvement and awareness are also vital. Local communities, recreational divers, tourists, and all stakeholders are urged to participate in early detection efforts by reporting sightings (photo, location and date) of this invasive coral to their respective Protected Area Management Organization (PMO’s)- the Fundacion Parke Nacional Aruba (FPNA)STINAPA BonaireCARMABI Curaçao Saba Conservation Foundation (SCF)Nature Foundation St. Maarten (NFSXM) and St. Eustatius National Parks (STENAPA). If an invaded area is confirmed, follow the recommendations by the local PMO’s.

Keys to Success

Despite the challenges, early detection is key to mitigating the threat posed by Unomia stolonifera. With continued vigilance, research, and community engagement, there is hope for containing this potential issue before it becomes a major threat.

About the DCNA

The Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) supports (science) communication and outreach in the Dutch Caribbean region by making nature related (scientific) information more widely available through amongst others the Dutch Caribbean Biodiversity Database, DCNA’s news platform BioNews and through the press. This article contains the results from several scientific studies but the studies themselves are not DCNA studies. No rights can be derived from the content. DCNA is not liable for the content and the in(direct) impacts resulting from publishing this article.

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