Frozen yet alive: beneath the ice, large schools of fish explore with a freedom that only the winter season offers.

While predation from other fish species remains a threat, their icy ceiling protects them from numerous diving animals, including birds and mammals, that will have to wait until the ice thaws for another fish meal. In water temperatures hovering above freezing, life moves slower, including for these freshwater emerald shiners in Ontario’s Lake Simcoe.

National Geographic