Joanna Steidle’s drone pictures has received 35+ worldwide awards and hangs in museums. However when she talks about her most necessary work, she doesn’t point out the accolades. She talks about menhaden.
“They’re an important fish in our sea,” award-winning photographer Joanna Steidle mentioned. “The whole lot depends upon them, and so they’re getting sucked up.”
For the previous seven years, Steidle has been documenting marine life migrations off Lengthy Island’s east coast, creating what she calls a “legacy” of coastal and marine ecosystem documentation. Whereas her gorgeous photos of dolphins and rays appeal to gallery consideration, the info she’s gathering by these flights serves a bigger goal: conservation.
“I work in conservation efforts right here,” she mentioned. “My knowledge when it comes to what I’m seeing as a visible observer of the colleges of fish migrating when and the place and what number of — that basically helps.”
Past the artistry and technical ability, Steidle is constructing a years-long visible file of ecosystem adjustments that scientists and conservationists can use.
The baitfish no person sees
Atlantic menhaden — the small, oily fish that seem in Steidl’s award-winning “One other World” {photograph} pictured above — are what marine biologists name a keystone species. They filter-feed on plankton and in flip feed every little thing from striped bass to whales. However their industrial worth as bait and fish meal means they’re harvested in large portions.
“They spawn in Chesapeake Bay, it’s sucked up by the industrial fleets simply off the coast of Jersey, and so they by no means make it out right here,” Steidle mentioned.
For years now, Steidle has been monitoring when colleges seem, how massive they’re and what different species they appeal to. Her aerial perspective supplies one thing conventional marine surveys can’t: a visible file of distribution patterns alongside miles of shoreline.
“I’m engaged on a full documentation story of the baitfish,” she mentioned. Her undertaking will observe the menhaden migration from Chesapeake Bay up the coast, documenting the place industrial fishing intercepts them and what meaning for coastal ecosystems additional north.
She’s even planning to increase the documentation to Louisiana, the place Gulf menhaden face comparable pressures.
“They’ve points down there with the purple menhaden, the Gulf menhaden,” she mentioned.
The problem of documenting absence and behavioral change
Fish: One of many distinctive issues in marine conservation is proving that fish populations have declined. Her pictures aren’t essentially to indicate what’s there, however what isn’t.
“If the fish aren’t right here, it’s very troublesome for me to show that there’s no fish, besides to exit and go to each seashore and doc that there isn’t a fish,” she mentioned. “It simply eats up an excessive amount of time and there’s no actual return on that.”
Systematic documentation of what’s absent is tougher to monetize however doubtlessly extra beneficial scientifically.
“The previous two years have been troublesome,” she mentioned, referring to durations when anticipated fish migrations merely didn’t materialize. These empty flights don’t produce gallery-worthy photos, however they’re important knowledge factors.
Rays: Since 2018, Steidle has been documenting cow nostril ray migrations alongside the East Coast. “We’re steadily growing with these numbers for the cow nostril rays,” she experiences. “Over time, we’re seeing increasingly more annually.”
That’s beneficial development knowledge, captured by the way by her inventive follow. When scientists need to perceive how ray populations are responding to warming waters or altering meals availability, Steidle’s multi-year photographic file supplies visible proof.
Whales: Steidle’s concentrate on humpback whale lunge feeding isn’t nearly getting a spectacular sho t— although it will be spectacular. It’s about documenting a habits that’s distinctive to New England and troublesome to seize comprehensively.
“Right here is the place these humpbacks cost open mouth by the floor like this and the fish scatter in all places,” she mentioned. “I don’t actually see it taking place anyplace else on this planet.”
Conventional marine analysis depends closely on boat-based commentary. However a ship can’t place itself straight above a feeding whale with out disturbing the animal. Drones (and notably her drone of selection, the DJI Mavic 3 Professional) can.
“It’s one thing you may’t get from a ship,” Steidle mentioned. That top-down perspective exhibits the spatial relationship between whales and baitfish, the coordination between a number of whales and the fish response patterns — all in a single body.
Conservation by connection
Steidle grew up on a industrial clam boat, giving her firsthand expertise with marine useful resource extraction.
“My father had a clam transplant enterprise — 500,000 clams a day out and in,” she mentioned. “So I knew what it was prefer to work firsthand and reside from the ocean. I now have an awesome love of the ocean,” she mentioned.
The geographic focus as scientific methodology
Whereas many drone photographers journey globally for selection (or maybe as an excuse to discover far-off lands), Steidle’s choice to focus solely on the East Coast serves a analysis goal.
“If I do it lengthy sufficient, I’ll have an enormous set of documentation,” she mentioned. “I’m going to maintain my sturdy focus right here on the East Coast of the USA, New England all the way down to Florida, and I’m simply going to should chase the fish.”
That longitudinal strategy — repeatedly documenting the identical geographic space over years — is how scientists monitor change. Steidle is basically conducting a visible survey, utilizing the identical gear, overlaying the identical areas, season after season.
Examine that to touring to Bali for per week, getting spectacular photos, then transferring to Iceland. Lovely pictures, however no continuity. No means to indicate how it’s altering.
The Mom Nature ritual
Earlier than every flight, Steidle has a ritual.
“I’ve my little come-to-me Mom Nature, and I all the time ask Mom Nature to take me to what she feels must be captured in that point and second.”
It would sound mystical, nevertheless it’s truly a strategy: keep open to what’s truly taking place slightly than forcing a predetermined narrative.
“Chances are you’ll be on a mission to do the marine life, however you could flip round and see this cloud formation that’s simply unbelievable,” she mentioned.
For conservation work, this openness is essential. You would possibly launch on the lookout for menhaden colleges and uncover an sudden species interplay. You would possibly anticipate finding fish and doc their absence. The worth is in trustworthy commentary, not confirming your speculation.
“I by no means have this expectation,” Steidle mentioned. “Generally I believe I can really feel it — oh, it’s going to occur in the present day! However I simply imagine in trusting your intestine intuition.”
So what’s subsequent for her?
“At this level I’m beginning to construct what I imagine is considerably of a legacy,” she mentioned. Not a legacy of awards (although these proceed to build up) however a documentation legacy.
She mentions tasks spanning years: the menhaden migration research, the humpback feeding documentation, the marsh and sand sample collection.
“I see the potential to do fairly a bit increasingly more significant tasks that span over years,” she mentioned.
Local weather change, industrial fishing stress, coastal growth, and air pollution are all affecting marine ecosystems. However change occurs regularly, over years and a long time. By the point issues develop into simple, important tipping factors could have handed.
Lengthy-term visible documentation supplies early warning. It exhibits what regular appeared like earlier than the decline. It captures the transition. It supplies the proof that one thing has modified.
If she continues this work for an additional 15 or 20 years, she’ll have some of the complete visible data of East Coast marine ecosystem adjustments out there.
Comply with Joanna Steidl’s conservation and positive artwork work on Instagram @joannasteidle or go to JoannaSteidle.com to see her newest marine life documentation tasks.
Watch our full interview beneath:
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