IN IMAGES, IN PICTURES. “There is frenzy”: when the super predators of the seas come to the table, Hérault resident Thomas Roger immortalizes them

His most memorable memory? The encounter with the humpback whale, in Norway, in water at 8°. “She arrived at the last moment and opened her mouth to rush into the school of herring… We hadn’t seen it, well, she doesn’t want to swallow you, but still!” laughs Thomas Roger in front of the photo of the impressive animal.

This wildlife photographer from Hérault, specialist in the ecosystem of the open sea, is celebrating his 20-year career with his project “Feast of Kings”, a massive, outdoor, large-format exhibition of 40 photos scattered in front of and around the Seaquarium of the Grau-du-Roi (Gard).

A great specialist in the Pelagos sanctuary, which embraces the Mediterranean part between France, Corsica and Italy, he reveals the richness and beauty of the giants of the sea. More specifically, he was interested in how they hunt and feed.

Millions of sardines whet the appetite

There we find the orcas in Norway who feed on herring, the marlins in Baja California who love sardines and mackerel, or the famous “sardine run”, these millions of sardines moving in bands and which sharpen the attracts predators, sharks and others, between May and July, on the East Coast of the United States.

“I love the adrenaline and there is a predator frenzy with mythical species” develops Thomas Roger who also tells how the rostrum of a marlin, its long bony beak, almost hit him while hunting sardines.

For this, underwater, he displays perfect control of apnea, equipped with his camera and flashes. “These are noble animals that move quickly, to be in the right place at the right time, you have to be in apnea, in underwater hunting mode.”

And then his observations bear witness to the evolution of the ocean planet.

“There remain extraordinary places to preserve”

“The idea is that the beauty of species calls out to people to tell them that there are still extraordinary places to preserve. This awareness comes through images”is developing the one which, with its Discovery of the Living structure, has also been offering encounters with bottlenose dolphins and Mediterranean rorquals for fifteen years.

“Afterwards, the danger for these predators is the overfishing of their food. But there is good news: good management of herring stocks in Norway or the increase in humpback whales”specifies Thomas Roger.

On the other hand, warming of the water could modify the migration route of sardines and penalize “the thousands of dolphins who meet for this easy meal.”