WPY 2020 winners

Staff · Issue 117, Nov/Dec 2020 · pp. 28–32

Products mentioned: Canon EOS 5DS, Nauticam housing, INON Z-240 strobe, Nikon D4S, Seacam housing, Nikon D7200, Tokina 10-17mm lens, Isotta housing, INON Z-330 strobe, Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

Life in the Coral Corridors Weiwei Zeng Animals in their Environment Highly Commended Diving off the remote island of Romblon, eagle-eyed Weiwei spotted two tiny shrimp, each just five millimetres long. Blending in with the stony colours of a large, round brain coral, so-called because of its appearance, the shrimp travelled along the tight passages of their home. Fighting to keep still against the current, Weiwei framed the shrimp in single file. These shrimp depend on coral for shelter, sometimes hooking soft coral tissue with their legs and drawing it over their backs like curtains. Yet their fragile dwelling is now threatened. Overfishing can damage the coral habitat by depleting the species that help maintain it, and climate change warms seas, causing coral to bleach from heat stress. www.nhm.ac.uk Weiwei specialises in underwater photography in southeast Asia. She has been diving f…