Published on
April 12, 2021

NatureMetrics Support New Film: Britain’s Hidden Fishes

A new film has successfully crowdfunded £30,000 to showcase rarely shot footage of Britain’s Hidden Fishes. NatureMetrics supported the crowdfund by donating four eDNA Discovery Labs with 100 % of the sales given to the project.

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NatureMetrics Support New Film: Britain’s Hidden Fishes

NatureMetrics is supporting a new film that successfully crowdfunded £30,000 to showcase rarely shot footage of Britain’s Hidden Fishes. The NatureMetrics team donated four eDNA Discovery Labs with 100 % of the sales given to the project, and a fifth kit sent to videographer Jack Perks.

The eDNA Discovery Lab in action with Jack Perks

Britain’s Hidden Fishes is led by Jack Perks, and during his crowdfunding campaign we not only supported the project but also sent out an eDNA Discovery Lab . Check out Jack’s experience below and see what DNA was lurking in his samples.

The Britain’s Hidden Fishes project

We are used to seeing international films that showcase the high diversity of marine life in coral reefs, mangrove forests and Amazonian rivers that we often forget about the amazing diversity of fish right here in the UK. At NatureMetrics, we were founded in the UK and appreciate the diversity of fish species hidden beneath the waterline, ranging from exquisitely miniscule species to leviathans of the deep. Project leader and videographer Jack Perks will be telling the story of these hidden fishes thanks to the support he received in his fundraiser, where they reached their goal of thirty thousand pounds. There were a range of different companies sponsoring the crowdfund, including NatureMetrics, and the Principle Sponsor was Salmon & Trout Conservation.

Videographer Jack Perks successfully fundraised for this collaboration between creatives, and over the next couple of years they will create a film that celebrates the natural history of Britain’s hidden fishes, narrated by TV presenter Jeremy Wade. The team will film British fish in a way that has rarely been shown before, ambitiously hoping to reveal behaviours and species that have never been filmed before. They plan to travel hundreds of miles along the coast as well as to the numerous chalk streams, lakes, rivers, and ponds that are home to all our freshwater species.

Filming technology has greatly improved over recent years, so the team are excited to make the film a visual feast for the eyes by using the latest camera technology both below and above the horizon.

The project leader, Jack Perks, was also excited to explore the uses of eDNA during this project. Jack used an eDNA Discovery Lab himself to test the biodiversity of his local waterbody, which he has been visiting since he was a child, and he can’t wait to reveal what species are living there using eDNA.

NatureMetrics donated four eDNA Discovery Labs that supporters could purchase to raise funds for the film project. Videographer Jack Perks also tried out the eDNA kits himself!  You can discover the biodiversity of your local waterways too. Read more about the eDNA Discovery Lab here.

Jack Perks, project founder, states, “Britain’s fish are often overlooked and under-appreciated, and I think it is about time we put them in the spotlight! … Over the course of my career, I’ve filmed every freshwater fish in the UK and many of the marine species, giving me a unique understanding and appreciation for our fishy denizens.”

There are approximately 42 native species of freshwater fish in the UK and a number of marine species that venture into mainland waters for breeding purposes, such as the Atlantic salmon and European eel. They range in size from the tiniest minnow to larger fish such as carp and pike, both of which can weigh over 20 kilograms. Learning about all the wonderful fish that live in our local bodies of water is a fantastic way to get the public involved in environmental conservation.

Fish have evolved over millions of years to accommodate the different freshwater habitats and niches available. Some survive in the calm of ponds and lakes, and others thriving in the fast-moving habitats of streams and rivers. Our spectacle of incredible fish is often overlooked; therefore, Jack Perks hopes this film will showcase this amazing group of animals. This film will be an opportunity for people to see a hidden world that British wildlife has never seen before.

To find out more about the Britain’s Hidden Fishes project, follow their progress on social media via @britainshiddenfishes on Instagram and @RiverFishUK on Twitter.

NatureMetrics are a proud sponsor of Britain’s Hidden Fishes, a film led by videographer Jack Perks that has been successfully crowdfunded to showcase the diversity of fish fauna in British waterways.

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