PHOTOGRAPHER | FILMMAKER
A 14-day trip to Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park with the REEFsLAB team from the National Coral Reef Institute of Nova Southeastern University, Florida. Led by Dr. Andrew Baumann and Dr. Fraser Januchowski-Hartley, they aimed to plot the "landscape of fear" between predator and prey species across locations with varying levels of protection and fishing pressure.
They hypothesize that while fear of natural predators is naturally present in unfished reefs, it is minimal in areas with heavy fishing pressure. They also posit that fear generated by fishing practices would eventually replace this lack of fear. Tubbataha would be the benchmark as a protected area and a no-take zone.