The Feast | Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Audun Rikardsen’s Image

Audun Rikardsen (Norway) witnesses feeding time around an Atlantic fishing vessel during a polar night in northern Norway.

Audun managed to photograph this chaotic scene of gulls attempting to catch fish trapped by nets.

The gulls have learnt to follow the sound of the boats to find a herring feast.

Audun’s work aims to draw attention to the ongoing conflict between seabirds and the fishing industry.

Many birds drown in or around these purse seine nets each year.

Various fisheries and researchers are trialling solutions. These include sinking the nets more quickly to make them less accessible to the birds.