Unexplored Depths

“The oceans are in trouble. There are some serious problems out there that I believe are not clear to many people. My hope is to continually find new ways of creating images and stories that both celebrate the sea yet also highlight environmental problems. Photography can be a powerful instrument for change.”

–Brian Skerry, National Geographic Marine Wildlife Photographer

There are certain depths we will never reach. However, with the equipment and aesthetic sense of Brian Skerry, we can begin to understand the intricacies of tropical coral reefs and the truth beneath the cores of Arctic ice we unearth. Skerry’s risk-taking within the underwater photography field has shed light upon the elusive creatures of the deep blue. Skerry’s interest in underwater environments was sparked when he first started photographing shipwrecks off the shores of New England. In 1978, he earned his SCUBA certification, which enabled him to start experimenting with underwater cameras. Now he primarily shoots for National Geographic as a marine photo-journalist. Since he works in a vastly unexplored realm of the world, Skerry encounters unprecedented difficulties in his daily work. Fortunately, the strange and wonderful phenomena he manages to capture surpass the trials and tribulations.

The pinnacle of Skerry’s work just so happens to be the one he is the most passionate about. After discovering the fact that the world’s fisheries are becoming increasingly depleted, Skerry became determined to bring the issue into harsh perspective to raise awareness. Entitled “The Global Fish Crises,” Skerry’s exposé delves into the gritty realities of our marine ecosystems, with photos ranging from magnificent Bluefin Tuna to the harvesting methods of large ships to Mako Sharks being finned. Skerry focused on the gillnets, bottom trawls and long lines where fish are captured in excessive amounts to meet human demands. He emphasizes the problem of by catch, where unwanted fish are often caught, killed and then disposed of. Skerry not only photographs the problems he sees, but writes about them as well. Having seen the horrific truth first-hand, he can depict the scene more vividly after going on assignment. He understands that humans take more than our oceans can sustain, and wants to pass that on through his photography.

One of Skerry’s assignments featured the seal-hunting problem in Canada’s Gulf of St. Lawrence. Fishermen who used to harvest cod found that the North Atlantic cod fishery has been dramatically depleted. In 2003, the Canadian government shut down the fishery. Now those fishermen are looking to other available sea creatures to sustain their livelihood, such as harp seals. Although Canada outlawed commercial hunting for whitecoat seal pups in 1987, seal-hunting is on the rise. Skerry also illuminated upon a new problem that has recently emerged: the thinning of North Atlantic ice due to warm winters. Pups rely on solid ice until they have gained enough fat to survive the harsh conditions, while female harp seals use the ice for whelping. Pup mortality rate has increased in recent years.

The issues that Skerry brings to the surface give us perspective on that which is often submerged. Though often invisible to the naked eye, the problems that our earth’s marine ecosystems are dealing with are just as crucial as our terrestrial predicaments. Underwater photography exposes human practices that are unethical and detrimental to marine biodiversity. Skerry has worked with Jacques Cousteau’s organization, the embodiment of a man who pioneered marine exploration and conservation. Skerry and Cousteau share a commonality: the devotion to defend marine environments.

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