Photo of the Day 196

Redfin Butterflyfish, Fiji, 2004

Photograph by Tim Laman

A redfin butterflyfish navigates the coral of Fiji's Vatu-i-ra Channel. This waterway, which separates Fiji's two biggest islands, is home to an immense variety of fish living amid some 2,500 square miles (6,500 square kilometers) of reefs and submerged plateaus. Conservationists are seeking to protect the region by winning its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Seascape.

(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Fiji's Rainbow Reefs," November 2004, National Geographic magazine)