Invasive Species Council of British Columbia

The Treasure Fish of Texada:  Underwater Storytelling with the Amphibiographer 

Terry L. Brown, the 'Amphibiographer,' is fascinated by underwater finds, especially the stickleback species pair. Credit: T. Brown

By Stephanie Weinstein | January 24, 2025

In the film, The Treasure Fish of Texada Island, a man deftly maneuvers his camera through the shallows, safely sealed in its giant red waterproof housing. He floats in his black wetsuit decked out with bright green spikes on the hood, like some sort of alien lake creature. But he is no threat and is fully accepted by the lake inhabitants. He welcomes the viewer in his booming baritone, “Let’s discover our inner fish and swim with the sticklebacks into their world!”

Credit: J. Abrams
Meet the Amphibiographer 

Terry L. Brown calls himself The Amphibiographer, a contraction of ‘Amphibious Photographer,’ telling stories of life at the interface of land and water, a dynamic realm which combines the familiar above water environment people are used to viewing, with the seldom seen underwater world. 

Terry has been a “fish-o-phile” his whole life. But an accidental photograph gave him a new purpose. While taking underwater photos of salmon in the Great Bear Rainforest, Terry inadvertently revealed a portion of the frame both under and above the water’s surface, showing the fish as well as their surrounding forest habitat. He and others loved it, and Terry realized the magic lies in the interplay between the worlds of the terrestrial, air, and water. Thus, the Amphibiographer was born.

With Terry’s partner, Jude Abrams, a musician and explorer of animal sounds, the vivacious duo have been crafting audio-visual stories for over 30 years, sharing a rarely seen underwater world to educate, entertain, and most of all, inspire audiences. Their passion for nature is contagious.   

Terry and Jude have a passion for nature, crafting audio-visual stories to educate, entertain, and inspire audiences. Credit: T. Brown

Face down in the water – with mask and snorkel – is Terry’s favourite place to be.

“Alice went through the looking glass. Well, as soon as I slide my face mask beneath the mirror of the water’s surface, this whole magic wonderland opens up with creatures as bizarre and glorious as any in science fiction,” said Terry. 

Terry is especially fascinated by the stickleback species pair.  Descended from the common three-spined stickleback fish (Gasterosteus aculeatus) found throughout northern marine and freshwater habitats, stickleback species pairs are considered “local treasures and global superstars.” Comprising two closely related but distinct species living in the same lake – the benthics and limnetics, named for the lake zone in which they forage – stickleback species pairs only live in a handful of lakes on the Sunshine Coast of B.C, including on Texada Island. On Texada Island there are two distinct groups of stickleback species pairs found in lakes within two watersheds. One is the Paxton Lake species pair and the other is the Vananda Creek species pair, both of which are listed as endangered in Canada under Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act (SARA). 

Stickleback species pairs are studied by scientists around the world because they are one of the youngest species on earth, offering unique insights into how new species form. They are also a species at risk. The introduction of the invasive brown bullhead catfish to Hadley Lake on Lasqueti Island and signal crayfish to Enos Lake on Vancouver Island caused the extinction of the stickleback species pairs from those lakes.  

When Terry learned of the unique stickleback species pairs found on Texada Island,  he wanted to share this fascinating story.  In 2012 Terry and Jude released The Treasure Fish of Texada through their company, Otter Be Good Productions.  Recently, an ISCBC team member was given a copy of the Treasure Fish DVD from the Texada Island community.   

“When we watched this video and saw Terry and Jude’s incredible underwater footage, we knew we needed to share this story with a new lens to raise awareness about these fish that few people have heard of, and share how to protect them and their habitat from aquatic invasive species,” said ISCBC’s Senior Lead of Education, Stephanie Weinstein.   

“Be There, Be Aware, With Care” The Amphibiographer 

While filming The Treasure Fish of Texada, Terry and Jude became part of the Texada Island ‘lake neighbourhood’ for hours every day, for weeks at a time, over a couple of seasons. They became part of the lake, familiar to the local wildlife, allowing them to witness and film underwater life.  Filming was painstaking work, requiring incredible skill and care.  

“You had to be so careful in your movements. It was such a ballet under there, you had to move so slowly and gently so as not to disturb the stickleback nests,” said Jude.  

Terry continues: “The sticklebacks build their nests on the logs under and near the water surface, made mostly out of algae, because that’s what they have there. And it is just so fragile. If you do a sculling stroke with your hand, you could just destroy a nest and disperse the eggs. So I had to be really, really careful. And as the breeze would blow me around, I’m trying to video and I’m holding myself off logs by one finger and sculling with my fins and it took a lot of control, a lot of experience and a lot of patience to be there,” said Terry. 

Terry and Jude feel at home underwater. Credit: T. Brown

Spending so much time in the water allowed Terry and Jude to discover the lives of the feisty sticklebacks and record behaviours rarely-if ever- seen before.   

Terry captured stickleback mating and nesting behaviours.

“It’s the male sticklebacks who build nests and guard eggs and hatchlings, while the females simply lay their eggs and leave. Females like to lay their eggs in a nest already containing eggs,” said Terry. “Well, I saw a drab-coloured male getting no action – no females wanted to lay their eggs in his nest. Then he snuck over and stole eggs from another nest, tucking them into his own nest to try to attract a mate!” 

Another colourful male stickleback was guarding fertilized eggs in his nest when a ‘roving band of marauding sticklebacks’ approached, presumably to eat these eggs. The male dramatically zigzagged back and forth, pretending to be feeding, piquing the interest of the others and luring them away from his nest. When the group dispersed, he made his way back to his nest where his eggs were safe. 

Spending so much time in the water enabled Terry and Jude to simply become part of the scenery, as ‘just another animal living in the lake.’ This is how they managed to film a male limnetic stickleback desperate to save its eggs from a hungry Western painted turtle – something scientific experts had never seen before. The stickleback aggressively and repeatedly attacked the turtle’s most vulnerable part – her eyes – but to no avail. The male limnetic stickleback was no match for the much larger turtle.    

Showdown between endangered species.  A male limnetic stickleback bravely defends his eggs from a hungry Western painted turtle. Credit: T. Brown 

“These tiny little fish are full of drama and reasoning and thinking. Each one has their own personality. Most people would never give them a second glance. Telling people the story hooks them into the amazing wonder of these fish and their daily life. And when they see them next, they might think about that and they might value them and might want to protect them,” said Terry. 

One of the most important things that people can do to protect stickleback species pairs – and aquatic habitats in general – is to prevent the introduction of invasive species. Simple actions can make a big difference, including: 

  • Don’t move or release any plants or animals into lakes, or other bodies of water. 
  • Don’t use live bait.  
  • Practice Clean Drain Dry: by 1) cleaning plants, animals, and mud from your boat and gear, 2) draining all water onto land, and 3) completely drying all parts before moving to another waterbody.  
“Step Outside Your Door, There are Wonders Galore!” The Amphibiographer  

Terry and Jude’s goal is to inspire others to get outdoors and fall in love with nature, to do all they can to protect this beautiful planet.  

“You can pick a spot and just go every day and all the critters will get used to you. You’ll start to expand your senses – your hearing, your sense of smell and wide angle vision – so that you’re taking in everything. That’s how people start to be part of the conversation with the rest of nature, and that’s really exciting,” said Terry. “Just be there, be aware, and listen, being open to all of the wonders and drama around you.”   

Thanks to this project, the story of the sticklebacks comes to life.  

“When people watch The Treasure Fish of Texada they can’t help but become fascinated by the lives of the stickleback species pair. The Amphibiographer shares a love for the sticklebacks and their home that is transmitted to the viewers. When people care about them, they are more likely to protect them,” said Stephanie. “By sharing Terry and Jude’s work we hope to nurture a sense of care for these special fish and their habitat that will keep them free from threats like invasive species, so they can thrive long into the future.”   


As the Senior Lead of Education at ISCBC, Stephanie supports educators and youth by developing resources and delivering programs that inspire environmental learning and protection. You may find Stephanie peering through binoculars among the Garry oaks or crouched over a tide pool near her home in Victoria. You can reach her at sweinstein@bcinvasives.ca



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