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https://theconversation.com/photos-from-the-field-diving-with-tasmanias-rare-and-elusive-red-handfish-your-new-favourite-animal-180962>
"On the surface, it looks like any other bay near Hobart. But beneath the calm
waters live a small population of one of the rarest and most endangered fish in
the world: the red handfish.
I was diving in early 2020 with a small crew of some of the best handfish
hunters on the planet, people who had monitored and nurtured knowledge of this
tiny creature over recent years.
We laid out a series of “swim lanes” using survey tapes, which we would then
search painstakingly in our wetsuits and SCUBA gear. We would take perhaps an
hour to drift along each 50 metre lane, carefully moving seaweed and peering
into each little nook for elusive handfish.
Towards the end of my first lane, I found one. Nestled between two seagrass
plants, the little fish with its seemingly oversized hands stared up at me.
I marked it with a bright yellow flag so the research team could record the
little critter in all its glory. This involved collecting essential scientific
information, such as length and photographs of both sides of the fish, all the
while avoiding disruption to it and its environment.
There are just two small areas near Hobart, and therefore in the world, where
the red handfish is known to still live, amounting to a wild population of
around 100 adults.
Earlier this year, the species was thankfully earmarked for federal
conservation funding, but more must be done to stop this otherworldly creature
from continuing to vanish."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
