2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
First Place: Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
First Place - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Prized oil wealth once pumped from Venezuelas Lake Maracaibo has turned the vast body of water into a polluted wasteland as boom turns to bust. Nobody lives as closely with the environmental fallout as hundreds of crab fishermen who scratch out an existence on its perpetually oil-soaked shores. Production in Venezuela has crashed to a fifth of its high two decades ago, leaving behind abandoned and broken equipment. Crude oozes from hundreds of rusting platforms and cracked pipelines throughout the briny tidal bay. Fabiola Elizalzabal washes fish caught by her father near La Salina crude oil shipping terminal on Lake Maracaibo, next to an oil-covered shore in Cabimas, Venezuela, July 3, 2019. The lake is an apocalyptic scene that's getting worse as oil-soaked gunk of trash and driftwood lines its shore.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
First Place - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Crab fisherman whose clothing and equipment are soaked with oil take a smoke break on Lake Maracaibo near Punta Gorda beach in Cabimas, Venezuela, May 17, 2019. An explosion badly burned three fishermen recently when they fired up their boat's motor near a natural gas leak that bubbles up from the bottom of the lake, engulfing them in flames.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
First Place - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
A fisherman wipes oil off his freshly caught crab from Lake Maracaibo on Punta Gorda beach in Cabimas, Venezuela, May 21, 2019. Crabs from Lake Maracaibo were introduced to U.S. markets after a Louisiana oilman in 1968 spotted large numbers in the lake's oil fields and told his brother in the seafood business.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
First Place - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Fisherman Manuel Nune's stomach is covered in oil, as he cleans up after a day of crab fishing on Lake Maracaibo in Cabimas, Venezuela, July 4, 2019. Fishermen wash the oil from their bodies with raw gasoline. They say the prickly rash in their skin is the price of survival.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
First Place - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Fishermen Erick Alejandro, left, and Kelvin Alcala remove oil accumulated inside their boat after a workday on the oil-soaked shore of Lake Maracaibo in Cabimas, Venezuela, July 4, 2019. The fetid banks sends the headache-inducing smell of petroleum from perpetual oil spills through the waterside villages, exposing people who depend on the lake for food and jobs.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
First Place - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Resting in a hammock, a fishermen's feet are covered with oil after a morning of crab fishing in Lake Maracaibo, in Cabimas, Venezuela, July 4, 2019. "The Venezuelan fisher folks are living a hellacious existence," said Cornelis Elferink, a professor of pharmacology and toxicology at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. "They're at the epicenter."
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
First Place - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Fishermen wearing oil stained uniforms from Venezuela's state-run oil firm PDVSA, catch bass known as "robalo" near La Salina crude oil shipping terminal, on Lake Maracaibo near Cabimas, Venezuela, May 18, 2019. Villagers say they first noticed oil lapping ashore when the petroleum industry's downturn began under the late President Hugo Chavez.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
First Place - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Fisherman Yanis Rodrguez and his family ride in the back of a 1970's taxi, driven by a PDVSA state oil worker who makes extra money as a taxi driver, to the market to buy groceries in Cabimas, Venezuela, July 3, 2019. Rodrguez used to dream of one day buying a new car and sending his eight children to private school. "But not anymore," said Rodrguez, who lives on rationed electricity and struggles to find sources of clean water for washing, cooking and drinking. "Everything is going from bad to worse."
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
First Place - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Fishermen covered in oil get their boat ready for fishing on Lake Maracaibo near La Salina crude oil shipping terminal in Cabimas, Venezuela, July 9, 2019. Nobody lives as closely with the environmental fallout of Venezuela's collapsing oil industry as the fishermen who scratch out an existence on the blackened, sticky shores of Lake Maracaibo.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
First Place - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
A fisherman paddles from the inner tube of a truck tire on Lake Maracaibo near La Salina crude oil shipping terminal near Cabimas, Venezuela, May 22, 2019. Maracaibo Lake, the once prized source of vast wealth, has turned into a polluted wasteland, with crude oozing from hundreds of rusting platforms and cracked pipelines that crisscross the briny tidal bay.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
First Place - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Fisherman Antonio Tello jokes around with his daughter Genesis Tello as they clean oil off of crabs that he caught in Lake Maracaibo, on Punta Gorda beach in Cabimas, Venezuela, July 11, 2019. Crabs are weighed and trucked to processing plants for their eventual shipment to consumers in the United States, neighboring Colombia and locally in Venezuela, who have no idea the crab on their plates was caught in oil-soaked water.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
First Place - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Fisherman Jose Miguel Perez, whose nickname is "Taliban," navigates the oil infested waters of Lake Maracaibo, near Cabimas, Venezuela, May 21, 2019. Nobody lives as closely with the environmental fallout of Venezuela's collapsing oil industry as the fishermen who scratch out an existence on the blackened, sticky shores of Lake Maracaibo.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Second Place: Alejandro Martinez Velez / Freelance for Rossiya Segodnya
Second Place - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Spain have a wide variety of popular traditions, in which people, bulls, fire, religion and masks are the main features to stand out. In this photo taken on July 13, 2019, a flaming fake bull, "Toro de Fuego", through the streets of Pamplona during San Fermin Festival, Spain. Every year, thousands of people from around the world come to Pamplona to take part in San Fermin Festival.
Alejandro Martinez Velez / Freelance for Rossiya Segodnya
Second Place - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
People dressed as "Diablos de Luzon" or Luzon Devil's take part in the carnival celebration of the small village of Luzon, Guadalajara Province, Spain, March 3, 2019. Revelers cover their faces in oil and soot, and carry bull horns to represent a devil. The first written reference document about this tradition is from 14th century, although it is thought the origin could be much older.
Alejandro Martinez Velez / Freelance for Rossiya Segodnya
Second Place - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
A man dressing as Diablos de Luzon or Luzon Devil's take part in the carnival celebration of the small village of Luzon, Guadalajara Province, Spain, March 3, 2019. Revelers cover their faces in oil and soot, and carry bull horns to represent a devil. The first written reference document about this tradition is from 14th century, although it is thought the origin could be much older.
Alejandro Martinez Velez / Freelance for Rossiya Segodnya
Second Place - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Reveler dressed Mascaritas take part in the carnival celebration of the small village of Luzon, Guadalajara Province, Spain, March 3, 2019. The Diablos cover their faces in oil and soot, and carry bull horns to represent a devil. The first written reference document about this tradition is from 14th century, although it is thought the origin could be much older.
Alejandro Martinez Velez / Freelance for Rossiya Segodnya
Second Place - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
A man rides a horse through a bonfire during "Luminarias" in San Bartolome de Pinares, Spain, January 16, 2019. This tradition is in honor of Saint Antony the Abbot, the patron saint of animals. Riders want to purify their horses with the fire and smoke in the coming year.
Alejandro Martinez Velez / Freelance for Rossiya Segodnya
Second Place - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
A member of the San Fermin Comparse talks with a bus driver of Pamplona, during the San Fermin Festival, July 13, 2019. Every year, thousands of people from around the world come to Pamplona, Spain, to take part in San Fermin Festival.
Alejandro Martinez Velez / Freelance for Rossiya Segodnya
Second Place - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
A small replica of Catholic Saint San Fermin inside a store in Pamplona, Spain, July 14, 2019. Every year, thousands of people from around the world come to Pamplona, Spain, to take part in San Fermin Festival.
Alejandro Martinez Velez / Freelance for Rossiya Segodnya
Second Place - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
A runner sprints in front of bulls during the Bull Carnival or "Carnaval del Toro", a traditional bullfight festival, in the village of Ciudad Rodrigo, Spain, March 4, 2019.
Alejandro Martinez Velez / Freelance for Rossiya Segodnya
Second Place - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Granadino dissected, who died on February 2018 after a running of bulls, inside a shop of Ciudad Rodrigo, Spain. Photo taken on March 4, 2019, during the "Carnaval del Toro" or "Bull Carnival", a traditional bullfight festival.
Alejandro Martinez Velez / Freelance for Rossiya Segodnya
Second Place - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
A participan jumps over a bonfire during the San Juan's Night in Alcobendas near Madrid, Spain, June 24th, 2019. This night is the welcome to Summer. Many cities of Spain celebrate this ancient tradition of purification.
Alejandro Martinez Velez / Freelance for Rossiya Segodnya
Second Place - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
A participan jumps over a bonfire during the San Juan's Night in Alcobendas near Madrid, Spain, June 24th, 2019. This night is the welcome to Summer. Many cities of Spain celebrate this ancient tradition of purification.
Alejandro Martinez Velez / Freelance for Rossiya Segodnya
Third Place: David Goldman / Associated Press
Third Place - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
White River Fish Sanctuary wardens patrol through the reef of the sanctuary's no-take zone in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019. After a series of disasters in the 1980s and 1990s, Jamaica lost 85 percent of its once-bountiful coral reefs and its fish population plummeted. But today, the corals and tropical fish are slowly reappearing thanks to some careful interventions. More than a dozen grassroots-run coral nurseries and fish sanctuaries have sprung up in the past decade. Local fisherman have joined with local businesses to form marine associations and negotiate the boundaries for no-fishing zones. Within these zones, pieces of regenerating staghorn coral are grown in nurseries waiting to be tied onto rocks in an effort to repair the damage done to reefs by man and nature. The no-take zones are patrolled by local fisherman dedicated to seeing the fish stock recover, but not everyone is on board. Some spearfisherman with fewer options, are the most likely trespassers, illegally catching fish sleeping at night to make up for lost wages from the sanctuaries' restrictions.
David Goldman / Associated Press
Third Place - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Belinda Morrow, president of the White River Marine Association, left, braces herself and Charmaine Webber, with the Environmental Foundation of Jamaica, from the rocking boat as diver Raymond Bailey, right, falls into the water to plant coral on a reef within the protected White River Fish Sanctuary in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019.
David Goldman / Associated Press
Third Place - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Diver Lenford DaCosta cleans up lines of staghorn coral at an underwater coral nursery inside the Oracabessa Fish Sanctuary Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019, in Oracabessa, Jamaica. In Jamaica, more than a dozen grassroots-run coral nurseries and fish sanctuaries have sprung up in the past decade, supported by small grants from foundations, local businesses such as hotels and scuba clinics, and the Jamaican government.
David Goldman / Associated Press
Third Place - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Divers, from left to right, Ray Taylor, Everton Simpson and Andrew Todd, gather coral from a coral nursery to be planted inside the White River Fish Sanctuary Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019, in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. When each stub grows to about the size of a human hand, Simpson collects them in his crate to individually transplant onto a reef, a process akin to planting each blade of grass in a lawn separately. Even fast-growing coral species add just a few inches a year. And its not possible to simply scatter seeds.
David Goldman / Associated Press
Third Place - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Diver Everton Simpson removes snails from staghorn coral planted inside the White River Fish Sanctuary Monday, Feb. 11, 2019, in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. The years of care that Simpson has devoted to trying to bring back Jamaicas coral reefs are shown by the cuts on his hands as he painstakingly works to transplant the new coral.
David Goldman / Associated Press
Third Place - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Diver Everton Simpson untangles lines of staghorn coral at a coral nursery inside the White River Fish Sanctuary Monday, Feb. 11, 2019, in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. On the ocean floor, small coral fragments dangle from suspended ropes, like socks hung on a laundry line. Divers tend to this underwater nursery as gardeners mind a flower bed _ slowly and painstakingly plucking off snails and fireworms that feast on immature coral.
David Goldman / Associated Press
Third Place - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Fisherman turned Oracabessa Fish Sanctuary warden and dive master, Ian Dawson, looks for fish while spearfishing outside the sanctuary's no-take zone in Oracabessa, Jamaica, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019. "I do fishing for a living. And right now I'm raising fish, raising fish in the sanctuary," said Dawson who only spearfishes on his free time now when he's not working at the sanctuary enforcing the no-take zone. "If you don't put in, you can't take out, simple."
David Goldman / Associated Press
Third Place - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Spearfisherman Rick Walker, 35, sells his catch to a buyer at a fish market in White River, Jamaica, Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019. Walker remembers the early opposition to the fish sanctuary, with many people saying, "No, theyre trying to stop our livelihood." Two years later, Walker, who is not involved in running the sanctuary but supports its boundary, says he can see the benefits. Its easier to catch snapper and barracuda, he says. At least my great grandkids will get to see some fish. But not everyone is on board.
David Goldman / Associated Press
Third Place - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Fisherman Damian Brown helps his daughter Mishaunda, 9, with her homework as his sons Damian Jr., 3, from left, Dre, 4, and daughter Paris, 1, right, watch television in their home in Stewart Town, Jamaica, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019. Brown has been caught twice fishing inside a no-take zone and now relies more on night spearfishing, which is illegal, to make up for the wages impacted by the sanctuary's restrictions. "Was nice before the sanctuary come in. Was good," said Brown. "Now I make no money off the sea again like one time."
David Goldman / Associated Press
Third Place - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Nicholas Bingham enters the water to go night spearfishing, which is banned, in Stewart Town, Jamaica, Friday, Feb. 15, 2019. Bingham says he has to resort to illegal night spearfishing to make up for lost wages from the sanctuary's restrictions. "From the time I was born fishing is all I do. It's my bread and butter," said Bingham. "There's not many other jobs to do. What am I going to do, take up a gun?
David Goldman / Associated Press
Third Place - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Nicholas Bingham spearfishes at night, which is banned, in Stewart Town, Jamaica, Friday, Feb. 15, 2019. Some fish sleep in the reef at night making them easier to catch than during the day. Getting caught can mean a fine, confiscation of equipment and even imprisonment.
David Goldman / Associated Press
Third Place - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Fisherman turned White River Fish Sanctuary wardens Mark Lobban, left, and Donald Anderson patrol the no-take zone for illegal fishermen under moonlight in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Saturday, Feb. 16, 2019. Most of the older and more established fishermen, who own boats and set out lines and wire cages, have come to accept the no-fishing zone. The patrols carry no weapons, so they must master the art of persuasion. And they often meet resistance. They threaten us and they give you trouble in the reef, Anderson said.
David Goldman / Associated Press
Honorable Mention: Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
This series chronicles daily life inside of Venezuela. In Venezuela, the government of President Nicols Maduro and the opposition are engaged in a bitter power struggle. The South American country has been caught in a downward spiral for years with growing political discontent further fueled by skyrocketing hyperinflation, power cuts and shortages of food and medicine. About four million Venezuelans have left the country in recent years. For the rest, life goes on. A private security guard stands next to stenciled paintings of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, left, and former President Hugo Chavez, right, in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, July 16, 2019.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Jose Ramon Salas strikes a pose holding a Venezuelan national flag and wearing a Russian military cap at an opposition rally to propose amnesty laws for police and military, in Las Mercedes neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. "If the Berlin Wall can fall, why not Maduro and his government?!"
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
In this Feb. 6, 2019 photo, the wife of a soldier who was part of the group that attacked the presidential palace in a failed 1992 military coup organized by the late Hugo Chavez, checks her hair minutes before the start of the weekly, live TV program coined: "Con el Mazo Dando," or ???Hitting it With a Sledgehammer,??? inside an aviation academy in Maracay, Venezuela. For government supporters attending the program, the enthusiasm for the show's host Diosdado Cabello, who the U.S. and European Union have sanctioned for human rights abuses and corruption, bordered on Elvis Presley-like idolatry.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Young dancers from the Style Dance Academy perform during a Mother's Day block party in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, May 19, 2019. Although Mother's Day was officially celebrated the previous weekend, people in the Petare area organized the neighborhood party to celebrate the mothers of their community.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Youths play basketball, with a mural of Venezuela's late president Hugo Chavez in the background, in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
In this Feb. 16, 2019 photo photographed through a window, a guest helps groom Juan Jose Pocaterra get dressed for his wedding in La Llanada, a summer camp at the Camburito Hacienda in Acarigua, Venezuela. "Venezuela isn't over. It's full of talented people giving their best. That's what we wanted to celebrate," said Pocaterra.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Masked criminals who go by the name "El Negrito," right, and "Dog," and are members of the Crazy Boys gang, hold their guns at their safe-house in the Petare slum of Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, May 13, 2019. Dog said he has no trouble finding ammunition for his guns on the black market, but that the challenge is paying for them in a country where the average person earns $6.50 a month. ???A pistol used to cost one of these bills,??? he said, crumbling up a 10 bolivar bill that can no longer be used to buy a single cigarette. ???Now, this is nothing.???
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Backdropped by the Petare shanty town, boys of the category minus 13 years of the Estudiantes de Caracas soccer club huddle to listen to their coach during a training session, in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, May 3, 2019.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Children participate in a dance class in a parish house in the Petare shanty town, in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, May 3, 2019.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Apartments units built by the government as part of the "Housing Mission" program are illuminated at night in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, Feb. 4, 2019. Critics blame Venezuela's political and social meltdown on 20 years of socialist revolution launched by the late President Hugo Chvez, who expropriated once-thriving businesses that today produce a fraction of their potential under government management.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
In this May 15, 2019 photo, people sleep on the sidewalk to escape from the heat, due to the lack of electricity in their homes that does not allow them to run their air conditioners and fans, during a blackout in Maracaibo, Venezuela. Maracaibo's sweltering heat approaches 100 degrees (37 centigrade) most days, making the air conditioner a must.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
In this May 14, 2019 photo, Raul Navas, 25, throws a dead fish back into the lake after bathing in Lake Maracaibo after a day's work in "Pulgas" or flea market in Maracaibo, Venezuela.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Honorable Mention: David Goldman / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Nicholas Bingham enters the water to go night spearfishing, which is banned, especially in the sanctuaries set up to protect the islands endangered coral reefs and replenish fish stocks, in Stewart Town, Jamaica, Friday, Feb. 15, 2019. The restrictions have taken a toll on many Jamaicans livelihoods, in a place where jobs can be scarce. Some say they have to resort to illegal night spearfishing to make up for lost wages from the sanctuary's restrictions. And since some fish sleep in the reef at night, they are easier to catch than during the day. Other fishermen have joined with local businesses to form marine associations and negotiate the boundaries for no-fishing zones. A simple line in the water is hardly a deterrent, however, for a boundary to be meaningful, it must be enforced. Night spearfishermen wrap their faces to protect against stinging jellyfish. But thats not the only threat lurking in the water: In addition to sharks, fishermen turned wardens are patrolling, scouting for illegal fishing.
David Goldman / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
White River Fish Sanctuary warden Mark Lobban steers the boat while patrolling the no-take zone for illegal fishermen in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Friday, Feb. 15, 2019. Tonight Lobban is driving a boat, appropriately called the Interceptor, up and down the coast under the same moonlit sky where 9 kilometers (5 miles) away two night spearfishermen are skirting the boundary of another sanctuary hoping to evade any patrols.
David Goldman / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Nicholas Bingham, left, grabs his speargun while leaving the home of Delroy Gooden, right, as they prepare to go night spearfishing, which is banned, in Stewart Town, Jamaica, Friday, Feb. 15, 2019. Bingham and Gooden say they have to resort to illegal night spearfishing to make up for lost wages from the sanctuary's restrictions. Some fish sleep in the reef at night making them easier to catch than during the day.
David Goldman / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Nicholas Bingham stands at the water's edge before jumping in to go night spearfishing, which is banned, in Stewart Town, Jamaica, Friday, Feb. 15, 2019. The warm tropical air gently pushes waves against the concrete steps leading down a cliff and into the ocean, the jumping-off point tonight for the night spearfishermen. Down those same steps is where some of these men learned to swim as young boys.
David Goldman / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Nicholas Bingham stands at the water's edge before jumping in to go night spearfishing, which is banned, in Stewart Town, Jamaica, Friday, Feb. 15, 2019. Bingham says he has to resort to illegal night spearfishing to make up for lost wages from the sanctuary's restrictions. Some fish and other sea creatures sleep in the reef at night making them easier to catch than during the day.
David Goldman / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
White River Fish Sanctuary warden Donald Anderson shines a spotlight on the coast looking for illegal fishermen while patrolling the no-take zone under moonlight in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Friday, Feb. 15, 2019. The patrols carry no weapons, so they must master the art of persuasion. And they often meet resistance. They threaten us and they give you trouble in the reef, Anderson said.
David Goldman / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Nicholas Bingham enters the water to go night spearfishing, which is banned, in Stewart Town, Jamaica, Friday, Feb. 15, 2019. "From the time I was born fishing is all I do. It's my bread and butter," said Bingham. "There's not many other jobs to do. What am I going to do, take up a gun?
David Goldman / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
White River Fish Sanctuary warden Mark Lobban steers the boat under moonlight while patrolling the no-take zone for illegal fishermen in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Friday, Feb. 15, 2019. Two years ago, fishermen joined with local businesses to form a marine association and negotiate the boundaries for a no-fishing zone stretching two miles along the coast. A simple line in the water is hardly a deterrent, however, for a boundary to be meaningful, it must be enforced.
David Goldman / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Nicholas Bingham spearfishes at night, which is banned, under a moonlit sky, in Stewart Town, Jamaica, Friday, Feb. 15, 2019. Night spearfishermen wrap their faces to protect against stinging jellyfish. But thats not the only threat lurking in the water: In addition to sharks, wardens are patrolling, scouting for illegal fishing.
David Goldman / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
White River Fish Sanctuary wardens Mark Lobban, left, and Donald Anderson patrol the no-take zone for illegal fishermen under moonlight in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Saturday, Feb. 16, 2019. Spearfishing at night in Jamaica is illegal, especially in the sanctuaries set up to protect the islands endangered coral reefs and replenish fish stocks.
David Goldman / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Nicholas Bingham catches a fish using a speargun while spearfishing at night, which is banned, in Stewart Town, Jamaica, Friday, Feb. 15, 2019. Using only handheld waterproof flashlights under a moonlit sky as they skirt the boundary of the Boscobel Fish Sanctuary, Bingham swims over the reef and seagrass meadows, diving down to shoot lobsters and fish along the way. The eerie silence beneath the surface is punctured only by a clanking sound as their spears make an impact.
David Goldman / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Nicholas Bingham uses an underwater flashlight to spearfish at night, which is banned, under a moonlit sky, in Stewart Town, Jamaica, Friday, Feb. 15, 2019. Its impossible for them to see anything but whats illuminated right in front of them, and the distant lights from land gauge how far out theyve swum.
David Goldman / Associated Press
Honorable Mention: Oded Balilty / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Last year, Shir Katzenell made a drastic life change, leaving a prestigious job in the Israeli army to pursue a childhood dream: becoming a mermaid. Ever since getting hooked on Disneys The Little Mermaid as a kid, Katzenell confided, she has longed to turn into one. While her friends moved on, Katzenells enchantment with mermaids endured. She fantasized about swimming underwater alongside fish in a 10-pound tail and sequined bikini. Then she actually gave it a try. As it turns out, shes not the only one. Together with a friend and fellow mermaid-fan, Michelle Koretsky, she started an unlikely social scene: a group of aspiring mermaids in Israel, which has grown on Facebook to nearly 1,000 members. Its the Israeli pocket of a worldwide community that she claims is gaining prominence. It was a crazy revelation, said Katzenell. I realized I was part of something big. In this Friday, Feb. 22, 2019 photo, Hadas Kellner, a member of the Israeli Mermaid Community poses for a portrait as she wears a mermaid tail at her home in Yahud, Israel.
Oded Balilty / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
In this Monday, March. 4, 2019 photo, Inbar Ben Yakar, a member of the Israeli Mermaid Community poses for a portrait as she wears a mermaid tail at her home in Kiryat Yam, Israel.
Oded Balilty / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
In this Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019 photo, May Lighty Cohen, a member of the Israeli Mermaid Community, poses for a portrait as she wears a mermaid tail at her home in Herzliya, Israel.
Oded Balilty / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
In this Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019 photo, Gal Amnony, a member of the Israeli Mermaid Community poses for a portrait as he wears a mermaid tail at his home in Ramat Gan, Israel.
Oded Balilty / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
In this Monday, March. 4, 2019 photo, Ligal Shternhell, a member of the Israeli Mermaid Community, poses for a portrait as she wears a mermaid tail at her home in Kibbutz Ein Carmel, Israel.
Oded Balilty / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
In this Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019 photo, Ommer Globerman, a member of the Israeli Mermaid Community poses for a portrait as she wears a mermaid tail at her home in Ashkelon, Israel.
Oded Balilty / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
In this Wednesday, March. 6, 2019 photo, Michelle Koretsky, a member of the Israeli Mermaid Community poses for a portrait as she wears a mermaid tail at her home in Ra'anana, Israel.
Oded Balilty / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
In this Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2019 photo, Yuval Avrami, a member of the Israeli Mermaid Community poses for a portrait as he wears a mermaid tail at his home in Jerusalem.
Oded Balilty / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
In this Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019 photo, Shir Katzenell and her son Erez , a member of the Israeli Mermaid Community poses for a portrait as they wear mermaid tail at their home in Or Akiva, Israel.
Oded Balilty / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
In this Friday, Feb . 22, 2019 photo, Udi Frige, a member of the Israeli Mermaid Community poses for a portrait as he wears a mermaid tail at his home in Yahud, Israel.
Oded Balilty / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2019 Feature Picture Story/Essay
In this Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019 photo, Adi Kazav, left, and Lied Adi Hagbi, members of the Israeli Mermaid Community pose for a portrait as they wear a mermaid tail at their home in Netanya, Israel.
Oded Balilty / Associated Press