Ocean Citizen Scientists Use Underwater Photography to Support Marine Conservation and Fundamental Research

The 2022 Image Bay Underwater Photography Competition at Chaojing received 634 entries. Integrating the concept of ocean citizen scientists, the competition invited photographers to submit GPS coordinates, water temperature, depth, and other information alongside their photos, building a more complete record of sightings to help establish baseline biological data for Chaojing Bay — data that researchers can reference when studying habitat conditions and environmental changes.

The competition was divided into wide-angle and macro categories, with the addition of a new "Special Marine Behavior Award." We also invited the winning photographers — themselves ocean citizen scientists — to share how they use underwater photography to contribute to marine conservation.

From Keeping Fish to Photographing Them: An Ocean Citizen Scientist's Pursuit of Authenticity – Chan Pin-Jie

Chan Pin-Jie won first place in the wide-angle category of the 2022 Image Bay Underwater Photography Competition at Chaojing. He captured the essence of Chaojing's underwater world in a single frame, earning the judges' recognition with his work "Dream · Realm."

The Ocean Citizen Scientist's Award-Winning Work: Dream · Realm

Chaojing's signature soft coral and tube sponges, together with glassfish scattered like stars across the reef crest of the secret garden, and a friendly Grouper that swam into the frame and glanced straight at the lens. As dreamlike as it feels — like "Chaojing from inside a dream" — authenticity is the defining quality of Chan Pin-Jie's photographic style.

Becoming an Ocean Citizen Scientist and Changing Shooting Habits

Chan Pin-Jie has been diving and doing underwater photography for around six or seven years. Before that, his passion was keeping fish — he had a roughly four-foot marine tank at home, but a power outage during a move wiped out every fish and every piece of coral overnight. He later took up diving, leaping into the boundless ocean and discovering a way of interacting with marine life that was entirely different from keeping a tank.

"Compared to an aquarium, the fish have so much more room to move. When you're diving, they actually swim around you! While you're taking photos, they'll come and rest less than 50 cm away, watching what you're doing. It feels just like having a little dog or a pet at home — more intimate and so much more alive."

Embracing the concept of ocean citizen science further shifted Chan Pin-Jie's mindset behind the camera: "Different creatures appear at different times of year, so I find myself wanting to go back season after season to document their lives and their environment." Chan Pin-Jie, who also enjoys macro photography, changed his shooting style as well. He used to reach for colored lights to achieve his ideal image, but wanting to document species characteristics as clearly as possible, he returned to using natural sunlight and a strobe, favoring a more realistic, documentary approach that can contribute meaningfully to biological databases.

Over a Decade of Underwater Photography: An Ocean Citizen Scientist Who "Interacts with Them" – Hsu Chih-Liang

Hsu Chih-Liang won first place in the macro category of the 2022 Image Bay Underwater Photography Competition at Chaojing, capturing a spiraling sea whip with striking three-dimensional depth, with commensal shrimp living on its surface.

The Ocean Citizen Scientist's Award-Winning Work: Sea Whip Shrimp

The sea whip, about as thick as a finger, spirals across a span roughly the length of an arm; the sea whip shrimp living on it is barely 1 cm long! By capturing details like the shrimp's "gaze" and body markings, and using lighting techniques to create shadow and a strong sense of depth, Hsu achieved a compelling three-dimensional image.

Ocean Citizen Scientists Use Their Lenses to Monitor Marine Conservation

Hsu Chih-Liang began diving and underwater photography in 2009. Over the years, not only has his equipment and technique advanced, but his subjects have grown ever closer to ecology — and his standards for his own work have grown ever higher. "In the past I might have been satisfied just to capture the subject itself," he explains. "Now I always try to include its living environment as well." Shooting a rock or sandy bottom, for instance, can easily make the frame look cluttered once the strobes fire; capturing the environment without the clutter requires continually refining lighting skills.

In recent years, Hsu has taken a particular interest in photographing shrimp, crab, and fish. When dealing with fast-moving subjects, he says: "You can't force it — you have to interact with them. And 'interaction' means not disturbing them, giving them no reason to feel stressed." Non-interference is itself part of the ocean citizen scientist's professionalism: observing the creature's behavior during a shoot, stepping back and giving it space at the right moment, allows it to let its guard down and ultimately gives the photographer the shot.

Beyond photographing unusual species, "environmental change" is another theme Hsu pursues. Last year at Chaojing, he spotted a sea anemone hosting just one tiny Clownfish (Nemo); this year, it had grown to thumb-sized. Meanwhile, the sea anemone itself shifted from a healthy, vivid color at the start of the dive season, gradually fading as high summer arrived, until it eventually turned completely white. "Will it come back in winter? Will the Clownfish (Nemo) still have a home next year? Those are the things I especially love to go and observe." Becoming an ocean citizen scientist has made Hsu far more attuned to shifts in marine ecology and environment during every dive.

A Dive Instructor Who Is Also an Ocean Citizen Scientist, Caring for Marine Conservation

Chien Chen-Yu is one of the winners of the Special Marine Behavior Award at the 2022 Image Bay Underwater Photography Competition at Chaojing. His shot captures a shame-faced crab (Calappa sp.) covered in sand, with white-tipped claws, carrying a piece of gorgonian / sea fan on its back.

The Ocean Citizen Scientist's Award-Winning Work: Caught! You're the One!

While conducting a night dive to assist with a research and survey application, Chien Chen-Yu unexpectedly discovered the shame-faced crab's remarkable behavior of using coral as camouflage — an observation that sparked a realization: "When we take the time to understand the behavior of different organisms, we realize there are so many possible explanations for what we see. That is a crucial part of investigation and research."

An Ocean Citizen Scientist Who Photographs Everything, Helping to Build the Database

Chien Chen-Yu has been diving and certified as a dive instructor for about three years. Initially, he photographed simply to share what he saw underwater with friends. As his technique and knowledge gradually deepened, he also wanted to give something back to the environment.

"It's a sense of mission, really. When I see an unfamiliar creature, I have a particular urge to find out what it is. Because every location has its own ecology and biodiversity — that's precisely why every place needs to be documented and surveyed."

Chien laughs recalling that in the past, he wouldn't necessarily photograph something he didn't recognize — it could seem unremarkable at first glance. But a more experienced diver reminded him: "The things you've never seen before are exactly what you should photograph — so you can ask about them, learn what they are. They might turn out to be something precious." During the dive season, Chien is in the water almost every day, diving and documenting at a frequency higher than that of most full-time researchers. This gives him the opportunity to capture a remarkable variety of marine life, and through exchanges with Ph.D. researchers and scholars, he helps build a more complete picture for fundamental research.

Whether wide-angle, macro, or special marine behavior, every precious photograph has the potential to become an important reference for fundamental research. We look forward to more underwater photographers joining in with their lenses to help build an accurate picture of the ecology and environment of the Keelung Wanghaixiang Chaojing Bay Resource Conservation Area.

Learn about the Ocean Citizen Scientist Program

Related links:

• 2022 Image Bay Underwater Photography Competition at Chaojing

• National Museum of Marine Science and Technology

• The Image Bay Award Ceremony: Behind the Lens