The seemingly trivial 'no flash photography' rules that we often see at tourist attractions and museums aren't so trivial after all, and should never be ignored or flouted – especially at an aquarium full of adorable aquatic creatures.
A shocking video has been shared online that depicts multiple flashes being set off at a crowded aquarium, and resulting in the death of a fish that comes hurtling into frame at a sharp speed and hitting the glass at full velocity, resulting in a sea of blood (pardon the pun).
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The poor tuna fish had been startled and confused by multiple flashes used by tourists visiting the aquarium, and unfortunately resulted in the self-inflicted death of the sea creature. As reported by Pool Magazine, the aquarium tank uses acrylic material that is highly reflective – and therefore affects the animals on the other side of the glass by confusing or agitating them.
Footage captured at the time of the event shows several strong flashes of light against the glass (we counted at least seven, watching it back), suggesting that this was not a case of a visitor accidentally leaving their phone flash settings on auto, but that these tourists were either unaware of the flash photography rules or simply did not care enough to abide by them.
It seems like as a species we really are declaring war on marine life, and it's not just plastic in the ocean that these poor aquatic animals have to worry about anymore. The incident can be seen at about 20 seconds into the video, which was shared to Reddit just 2 days ago, and posted on the r/Wellthatsucks channel. You can view this below:
tuna_fish_tried_to_break_on_through_to_the_other from r/Wellthatsucks
Watch video: Flash photography kills fish
The camera / smartphone flashes are said to resemble reflective light bouncing off of the water and waves to the fish, and can even confuse them into thinking the light is prey, prompting them to try and swim towards it – and colliding with the glass casing of the aquarium tanks instead. The speed of the fish in the video is pretty phenomenal, and also concerning; it is interesting to wonder what the fish thought it was heading towards at such a powerful and rapid velocity.
Speculation from Reddit users discussing the thread suggests that the aquarium in question could be at three possible locations: either the Georgia Aquarium, the Atlanta Aquarium, or some users are pretty adamant that it may be the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Japan (due to the presence of whale sharks).
So let this be a warning: if you see a 'no flash photography' sign, please don't ignore it. It is there for a reason.
• You may also be interested in the best waterproof camera, as well as the best underwater housings for cameras and phones, plus there's also the best underwater drones, and the best waterproof phones to use for your marine photography needs.
