Student of the Sea: Squirrelfish Apartment

A small school of Sabre Squirrelfish (Sargocentron spiniferum) takes shelter in a coral bommie in Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park.

The benefits of a well-managed and properly-enforced Marine Protected Area (MPA) like Tubbataha Reefs can not only be appreciated through the big animals passing through, but also be seen in the booming and thriving population of hundreds of species of fish and corals on the reef.

These Squirrelfish are some of the most beautiful fish on the reef, mostly ignored and overshadowed by their bigger, pelagic neighbors.

This photo was taken while on my first-ever NFT-funded project, which aimed to document the effects of a 2-year pandemic lockdown on an MPA that is heavily dependent on tourism. Project ends in June 2022.

2000x3000px

Photographed by Noel Guevara in 2022. Noel is a conservation photographer & filmmaker based in Manila, Philippines.