This picture of a luminous fishing internet engulfing a mangrove at the hours of darkness is extra than simply an eerie but fascinating composition; it sheds mild on the rising drawback of “ghost gear,” discarded fishing gear that’s polluting marine ecosystems and threatening wildlife.
Captured by Indian photographer Gaurav Patil, the picture was taken close to Nandgaon village, Maharashtra, south of Mumbai, and has simply been introduced the general winner of this 12 months’s Mangrove Photography Awards. Patil takes house the $1,000 (roughly £750 / AU$1,400) prize however, on a grander scale, has performed a job in elevating consciousness of mangrove conservation.
“I have been watching ghost nets getting trapped in mangroves for the last several years, and I wanted to document it in an artistic manner to grab the attention of the viewers,” Patil informed the Mangrove Action Project, the competitors organizers.
Mangroves are crucial coastal ecosystems that defend shorelines from excessive climate and erosion and function important nurseries for marine life, however are going through a extreme and rising risk from ghost nets.
These deserted fishing nets bodily entangle wildlife, alter native hydrology, and might break down into microplastics, which animals eat.
The photography competition aims to draw attention to these essential waterborne ecosystems, which experts say are at risk of collapse by 2050.
The organizers invite photographers to submit entries across a range of categories, including the relationship between locals and mangroves, stories of their conservation, and how they support wildlife.
Notable category winners at the 2026 awards included Lucas Gonçalves’ aerial depiction of the Tejipió River in Recife (Brazil) separating shrimp ponds forming a natural tapestry from a vast mangrove forest.
There was also Ryuhei Suguri’s (Indonesia) mesmerizing long exposure of a single mangrove below the star-filled night sky.
The 12th edition of the Mangrove Photography Awards saw over 5,000 entries from 87 countries, and you can see the entire winners gallery here.
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