Father and Enemy
This Atka mackerel’s father was holding a starfish and trying to keep it away from their protected egg territory. Atka mackerel's father was taking care of the eggs laid by the female. They were sending fresh seawater to eggs with the mouse. There are many omnivorous creatures such as sea urchins and starfish here, and eggs are always targeted by them, for that, father always patrols.
I went diving to Hokkaido in Japan in winter. Water temperature was just 8 degree Celsius and snowy. I saw lots of Atka mackerel and I realized that all of them protected their eggs. There were many omnivorous creatures such as sea urchins and starfish here, and eggs were always targeted by them, for that, father always patrolled. I kept observing their natural behavior, gradually reducing the distance so that he wouldn't be wary. Atka mackerel father started performing naturally, then, showed me it was putting away enemies well.
Sayaka Ichinoseki, Japan, Shizuoka
