I am not sure why I thought it would be fun to illustrate a bait ball. Putting together all those fish made my head hurt! Apart from that I did enjoy putting all the separate bits and animals into a composition. I particularly like the interaction between the fish and the predators such as the shark swimming amongst the fish and a window opening up around the dolphin's head. I am also quite fond of the sea lion in the bottom right corner looking at the rising whale. Aesthetically I love all those diving gannets with the orange sky behind. I think they would make a nice illustration in themselves.
Having a feel for all the action around a ball of fish like this is one of the great benefits of television. Without nature programs and their absolutely wonderful videography I would probably be aware that something is going on but find it impossible to actually imagine how it looks or exactly what is happening. And opportunities to see one in the wild as it happens must be extremely rare and well out of my reach.
The details of what actually happens is facinating. Such as the different tactics used by the different predators. Dolphins corraling the ball into shallower water or curtains of bubbles being blown around the fish to make them swim even tighter together. Then the orcas and thresher sharks that stun the fish with their tails before eating them. The lunge of a great whale's gaping mouth must be one of nature's most fantastic sights. Even the birds have different strategies from the dramatic dives of the gannets to the underwater chases of the auks.
It's interesting to think that the bunching together of the fish that makes individuals feel safer makes the whole shoal more vulnerable as it becomes such a tempting target for more and more and bigger and bigger predators.
