How to Photograph

We welcome photos from divers, fishermen, and snorkelers— anyone who is able to capture a photograph of the side of a Giant Sea Bass.

The ideal image for ID should:

1. Be at right angles to the left or right hand flank (side) of the fish.
2. Be clear enough to show spots and markings on the skin of the giant sea bass.
3. Not be over-exposed. Over-exposure makes the marks difficult to differentiate. The pattern-matching algorithm used to identify individual fish requires visible spots.
4. Be captured in the highest resolution for your camera type.
5. Be minimally edited (cropping is okay). DO NOT HORIZONTALLY FLIP THE IMAGE.
6. Be submitted in jpeg or png format, preferably no larger than 2 Mb. Videos may be submitted as mp4 files.

Example right side image. Image credit: Merry Passage and Phil Garner.

Method for photographing giant sea bass

1. Approach dive site in a calm and controlled manner.
2. Position yourself in a suitable location to obtain clear images of giant sea bass.
3. Be patient, remain as still as possible in order to allow the giant sea bass to swim past you in their natural pattern.
4. Attempt to photograph both sides of each fish, but do not chase or harm the giant sea bass.

Image Ownership

We only require these images for research purposes. The ownership of these images always remains with you.

Note to photographers: Watermarks are completely acceptable as long as they do not obscure spots.