Fish

Northern Pike underwater, Snake Island, Toronto Islands

Business End

Water temperatures in the lagoons have hit around 6°C, and the northern pike are again cruising the spawning grounds.

Cormorant with catfish, Blockhouse Bay, Toronto Islands

Eye to Eye

A cormorant prepares to swallow a catfish whole, after a long but ultimately futile struggle.

Northern pike underwater, Deep Pike Cut, Toronto Islands

Pikeflections

A mature northern pike swims in the shallows, reflected in the surface of water less than 6″ deep.


Northern pike underwater, Doughnut Island, Toronto Islands

A Day in the Life

A day in the life of an underwater camera as a young northern pike, muskrat, and painted turtle cruise past in the lagoon’s murky depths.

Common carp, Pike Cut, Toronto Islands

Carp of Happiness

A common carp stares at the camera through the underwater gloom, looking like something out of Asian legends.

Sunfish, Hanlan's Point, Toronto Islands

Island Iridescence

Glowing like a pet store tropical fish, a sunfish swims past an underwater remote near Pike Cut. Clarity of the lagoons is already dropping as the water temperature rises.  This b-roll image looks mottled due to air bubble contamination on the lens port, a common problem in summertime.


Northern pike underwater, Snug Harbour, Toronto Islands

Painterly Cruising

A signature photograph for the FishEYE II:  a northern pike cruises its spawning grounds, waiting for the water to warm up to about 9°C to start the main event.  The lagoons are still frigid, hovering around the 5-6°C mark.

Yellow perch, Snug Harbour, Toronto Islands

Back in School

A school of yellow perch float motionless in front of a remote camera, their numbers seeming to stretch to the underwater horizon. A B-Roll shot by all accounts, but I didn’t know that we have schools of perch this large in our lagoons.

Northern pike, Snug Harbour, Toronto Islands

Pike Poise

The rule of beginner’s luck seems to be a photographic constant:  deploy new gear to the field, and invariably something interesting will happen.  At least the first time, after that you might get nothing for weeks. This marks the first deployment of the FishEYE II, a.k.a. ‘Mr. Floaty’, an update to the original FishEYE I […]


Northern Pike, Snug Harbour, Toronto Islands

Between the Darkness and the Light

A beautiful northern pike undulates towards the camera, sandwiched between the dark lagoon floor and bright overhead sky. Unfortunately, after heavy rains and high wind, the water is also full of flotsam and jetsam:  bits of plastic, rubber, and aluminum punctuating an otherwise beautiful natural image. This image was photographed with the FishEYE I underwater […]

Northern Pike, Snug Harbour, Toronto Islands

Northern Beauty

During the winter months, the lagoons become almost sterile as all the larger fish head to deeper waters.  Crayfish, mink, beavers, and a few smaller fish can occasionally be seen going about their business under the ice, but nothing else. As the ice finally begins to clear out, the larger fish return and get ready […]

Carp, Snug Harbour, Toronto Islands

Underworld

An underwater camera captures a carp swimming through the algae-laden waters of high summer.


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