https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/20/world/australian-handfish-photograph-c2e-spc-intl-scn/index.html CNN values your feedback 1. How relevant is this ad to you? ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) 2. Did you encounter any technical issues? [ ] Video player was slow to load content [ ] Video content never loaded [ ] Ad froze or did not finish loading [ ] Video content did not start after ad [ ] Audio on ad was too loud [ ] Other issues [ ] Ad never loaded [ ] Ad prevented/slowed the page from loading [ ] Content moved around while ad loaded [ ] Ad was repetitive to ads I've seen previously [ ] Other issues [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Cancel Submit Thank You! Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much appreciated. 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It took French photographer Nicolas Remy three days to capture this image of the elusive spotted handfish in Tasmania's Derwent River. Critically endangered, the handfish "walks" using its pectoral fins and attracts its prey with the fluffy lure above its mouth. The photo took first place in the 11th annual Ocean Art 2022, showcasing the world's best underwater photography. Look through the gallery for more winning images from the competition. It took French photographer Nicolas Remy three days to capture this image of the elusive spotted handfish in Tasmania's Derwent River. Critically endangered, the handfish "walks" using its pectoral fins and attracts its prey with the fluffy lure above its mouth. The photo took first place in the 11th annual Ocean Art 2022, showcasing the world's best underwater photography. Look through the gallery for more winning images from the competition. Nicolas Remy/Ocean Art 2022 This male Atlantic Wolfish from Norway is protecting its partner& apos;s eggs until spring. The photo by Galice Hoarau won first prize in the Marine Life Behavior category. This male Atlantic Wolfish from Norway is protecting its partner's eggs until spring. The photo by Galice Hoarau won first prize in the Marine Life Behavior category. Galice Hoarau/Ocean Art 2022 This image of a protective Caribbean reef octopus guarding her eggs in West Palm Beach, Florida won the Best in Show overall. According to Ocean Art, photographer Kat Zhou spent three weeks trying to get the best angle. This image of a protective Caribbean reef octopus guarding her eggs in West Palm Beach, Florida won the Best in Show overall. According to Ocean Art, photographer Kat Zhou spent three weeks trying to get the best angle. Kat Zhou/Ocean Art 2022 Martin Broen's atmospheric "Long Shadows" won first place in the Black and White category. The photo presents stalactites hanging from the roof of Cenote Dos Pisos, Mexico. Martin Broen's atmospheric "Long Shadows" won first place in the Black and White category. The photo presents stalactites hanging from the roof of Cenote Dos Pisos, Mexico. Martin Broen/Ocean Art 2022 In Pinglin, Taiwan, this crab found itself seeing double -- and won photographer Kuo-Wei Kao first place in the Portrait category. The photographer told Ocean Art that it took many attempts to capture the "perfect reflection." In Pinglin, Taiwan, this crab found itself seeing double -- and won photographer Kuo-Wei Kao first place in the Portrait category. The photographer told Ocean Art that it took many attempts to capture the "perfect reflection." Kuo-Wei Kao/Ocean Art 2022 With categories such as Underwater Conservation, the competition also highlights the difficulties facing our oceans -- like this California sea lion pup in Mexico with a fishhook stuck in the corner of its mouth. "At the least, his story can be a message of the impact of humans on the inhabitants of our ocean," said photographer Celia Kujala. With categories such as Underwater Conservation, the competition also highlights the difficulties facing our oceans -- like this California sea lion pup in Mexico with a fishhook stuck in the corner of its mouth. "At the least, his story can be a message of the impact of humans on the inhabitants of our ocean," said photographer Celia Kujala. Celia Kujala/Ocean Art 2022 Winning first prize in the Compact Wide Angle category, Enrico Somogyi's photo gets up close and personal with a toad in Leipzig, Germany, during mating season. "It lasts only a few days," the photographer told Ocean Art, "and only at this time is it possible to get very close to them." Winning first prize in the Compact Wide Angle category, Enrico Somogyi's photo gets up close and personal with a toad in Leipzig, Germany, during mating season. "It lasts only a few days," the photographer told Ocean Art, "and only at this time is it possible to get very close to them." Enrico Somogyi/Ocean Art 2022 Renee Capozzola's photo shows an over-under image of South Fakarava, a remote atoll in French Polynesia. As this area has strong legal protection, there is a thriving ecosystem, featuring a variety of species. This photograph took first place in the Wide Angle category for 2022. Renee Capozzola's photo shows an over-under image of South Fakarava, a remote atoll in French Polynesia. As this area has strong legal protection, there is a thriving ecosystem, featuring a variety of species. This photograph took first place in the Wide Angle category for 2022. Renee Capozzola/Ocean Art 2022 This image of a shrimp, taken in the Philippines, reminded photographer Eunhee Cho of a certain cinematic space alien. "I thought of E.T., the big-eyed alien in the movie I saw as a child," Cho said. "It was a lucky day when a small sea creature was considerate of me and I was able to shoot." This image of a shrimp, taken in the Philippines, reminded photographer Eunhee Cho of a certain cinematic space alien. "I thought of E.T., the big-eyed alien in the movie I saw as a child," Cho said. "It was a lucky day when a small sea creature was considerate of me and I was able to shoot." Eunhee Cho/Ocean Art 2022 Photographers capture stunning images of underwater life Prev Next Editor's Note: Call to Earth is a CNN editorial series committed to reporting on the environmental challenges facing our planet, together with the solutions. Rolex's Perpetual Planet initiative has partnered with CNN to drive awareness and education around key sustainability issues and to inspire positive action. CNN -- In the dark and silty depths of Tasmania's Derwent River, an unusual kind of fish can be found walking - not swimming - along the riverbed. The spotted handfish, which moves using pectoral fins that look like hands, lurks in the murky depths, ready to pounce on any prey it attracts with the fluffy lure above its mouth. Its cream coloring and dark brown or orange spots blend in with the sandy floor, making the fish hard to spot, and even harder to photograph. This, coupled with the fact that the species is critically endangered, with fewer than 3,000 individuals thought to remain in the wild. But French photographer Nicolas Remy was determined to see the elusive fish for himself. In 2022, he traveled from his base in Sydney to Australia's coldest state, and dived into the waters of the Derwent which were a chilly 11 degrees Celsius. An hour in, he spotted the first handfish, but with the burst of his camera flash it was gone. All the photograph had captured was a cloud of silt. Remy realized he would have to hone his technique for this species and spent three consecutive days and a total of nine hours in the river. There are fewer than 3,000 spotted handfish remaining in the wild. There are fewer than 3,000 spotted handfish remaining in the wild. Nicolas REMY Eventually, after mastering a special swimming technique with his flippers that didn't stir up the silt, and using a different kind of lighting device that created a narrow spotlight, Remy got his shot - a close-up of the charismatic fish, with its "hands" and the fluffy lure in plain sight. The photograph went on to win first place in the cold-water category of the Underwater Photography Guide's Ocean Art 2022 contest. Remy hopes that his photographs will help to shine a light on this rare species that most people know - and care - little about. Using portrait-style photography, he wants to create an emotional connection with the handfish, prompting people to get engaged in conserving the "very strange looking fish." Related: Extraordinary close-up images show insects as you've never seen them before Saving the handfish Efforts to preserve the spotted handfish, and its even more critically endangered relatives, the red handfish and Ziebell's handfish, are ongoing. The National Handfish Recovery Team plans to revive all three species, which are found in the waters of south-eastern Australia. Of the red handfish, only 100 adults are thought to remain, while the Ziebell's hasn't been spotted in the wild since 2007. The red handfish is currently only found on two small patches of reef in south-eastern Tasmania. The red handfish is currently only found on two small patches of reef in south-eastern Tasmania. Tyson Bessell "Low dispersal capability, small population size, and relatively low reproductive output make them susceptible to environmental disturbance," says Jemina Stuart-Smith, chair of the National Handfish Recovery Team, who notes habitat loss, pollution and urban development as major threats. What's more, their quirky method of walking rather than swimming, makes it difficult for handfish to use ocean currents to carry them away from degraded areas, she adds. Florian Ledoux 4 story card Florian Ledoux The icy patience of an Arctic photographer Recovery efforts involve monitoring populations of all three species, restoring their natural habitat, removing invasive species or over-abundant sea urchins, and working with aquariums to establish captive breeding programs and insurance populations. In the Derwent River, the team has planted artificial habitat to encourage spotted handfish spawning, which has already shown promising results in stabilizing populations, says Stuart-Smith. But while there has been some progress, the situation is still urgent and the recovery team needs longer-term funding and resources, says Stuart-Smith. She hopes the Australian government's recent threatened species action plan, which aims to prevent any new extinctions, will help as the red handfish is listed in the plan's 110 priority species . The Ziebell's handfish is the most elusive of the three pecies, with no confirmed sightings since 2007. The Ziebell's handfish is the most elusive of the three pecies, with no confirmed sightings since 2007. Andrew Green Generating awareness is also crucial to conservation efforts, she says, and photography can be an important medium for this. Mark Strickland, American photographer and judge of the Ocean Art 2022 photo contest, agrees. He told CNN in an email: "By capturing and sharing beautiful images of such rarely seen species, underwater photographers can play an outsized role by creating awareness and concern among people who might otherwise be unaware of the plight being faced by these species and the fragile habitats where they reside." 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