Portuguese Nuno Vasco Rodríguez received two United Nations awards in the ocean photography competition. The biologist and explorer became famous for the pictures he took in the Azores and Porto Santo.
A mother and calf of a sperm whale hunted in the Azores until the 1980s.. According to photographer and biologist Nuno Vasco Rodriguez, with the end of this activity, a whole new ocean window has opened for this species.
“It began to be realized that live sperm whales were worth much more than dead ones. So this protection is starting to pay off and today we have tourists from all over the world who travel to the Azores to go whale watching. This is a real refuge for whales and cetaceans, in particular for sperm whales, which today are the symbol of the Azores,” he said.
Nuno Vasco Rodriguez had to choose three photos in the Renaissance category and came in second. “The collection of marine debris and the work done, in particular, by the University of Azores, in this monitoring, in this collection, in this impact of marine debris on fauna, which is growing and causing great concern, this is a very serious threat, but we are working on it and there is hope,” he warned.
Nuno Vasco Rodriguez is a marine biologist and researcher and has other international awards on his resume, which he says are recognition of the work he has done over the years to conserve the ocean.
This UN-sponsored photography competition has been running since 2015. This year, 20 photographers competed in six different categories, focusing on bringing the oceans to life. Access award-winning photos here.