Wildlife photographer of the year 2023 – preview
Prize catch by Jef Pattyn, Belgium/the Netherlands: Highly commended, oceans: the bigger picture

Pattyn captures a fisher dragging a sailfish across the beach. Pattyn had spent days watching fishers bring their catch to shore surrounded by birds trying to get their share. The fish were prepared at sea then loaded onto trucks early in the morning, when this photograph was taken. Artisan fishing provides vital employment for people living on Ecuador’s Pacific coast. This is small in scale compared with the industrial-scale fishing undertaken by international fleets. However, artisan fishing does still have an impact as marine mammals can become entangled in nets. Location: Puerto López, Manabí province, Ecuador











