Latest news with #FWC
Fox News
a day ago
- Fox News
Sailboat sinks near Miami Beach after crash with barge, leaving 6 hospitalized
Six people were pulled from the water near Star Island in Miami Beach after a barge struck the sailboat they were in, authorities said. The two-vessel incident happened Monday morning, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue (MDFR) confirmed to Fox News Digital. "All six victims, an adult female and five juveniles, were recovered from the water and transported to a local hospital for treatment," an FWC spokesperson said in a statement. Three children were taken to a hospital in critical condition, local WSVN reported, and one was taken in stable condition. Police told the TV station the children are between the ages of eight and 12. MDFR said the call about a submerged vessel with missing occupants came in at 11:14 a.m. The county agency assisted Miami Beach Fire and City of Miami Fire Rescue on the call. "Divers were deployed to search for the missing occupants. Thanks to the swift rescue response from all agencies, all persons were located and removed from the water," an MDFR spokesperson said in a statement. FWC is leading the investigation into the boating accident.
UPI
a day ago
- General
- UPI
Watch: Alligator removed from shoulder of Florida's Turnpike
July 28 (UPI) -- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission personnel responded to Florida's Turnpike in Miami-Dade County to remove an alligator on the emergency shoulder. The Florida Highway Patrol said two lanes of traffic were blocked while FWC officers worked to capture the gator in the southbound lines, near the exit to Northwest 74th Street. The alligator, estimated to be about 9 feet long, was safely removed from the highway and relocated to a nearby canal. "The FWC places the highest priority on public safety and administers a Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program (SNAP)," the FWC said in a statement provided to WPBF-TV. "The goal of SNAP is to proactively address alligator threats in developed areas while conserving alligators in Florida. SNAP uses contracted nuisance alligator trappers throughout the state to remove alligators believed to pose a threat to people, pets or property."
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Science
- Daily Mail
Americans told to destroy parasite-infested pink blobs invading Florida: 'Crush on site'
Americans are being urged to destroy strange, sticky pink blobs appearing across Florida, as officials warn they pose a threat to both humans and local ecosystems. These vivid pink clusters are egg masses laid by invasive apple snails from South America, fast-growing species that can cause serious ecological damage once hatched. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has warned residents not to handle the eggs with bare hands, especially around the eyes, nose, or mouth. The slime coating the eggs may carry harmful bacteria and parasites that can infect sensitive areas. Instead, officials are asking the public to crush the clutches using protective footwear. Florida is home to multiple types of apple snails, including the native Florida apple snail. But the state also hosts four exotic species from South America: the island apple snail, channeled apple snail, spike-topped apple snail, and titan apple snail. Health officials are particularly concerned about the channeled apple snail, which can carry rat lungworm, a parasite capable of causing a rare but potentially deadly form of meningitis when humans consume raw or undercooked snails. The US Geological Survey reports these egg masses are commonly spotted in central and southern Florida waterways, including Lake Okeechobee, the St. Johns River, and Everglades National Park. Invasive apple snail populations have also taken hold in Georgia, Texas, Louisiana, and parts of California, where they've become serious pests in agricultural zones. Since 2013, these invasive snails have spread across 38 out of 67 counties in Florida and been found in at least 29 different watersheds. They can grow up to six inches long, lay distinctive bright pink egg masses, and have an aggressive appetite for aquatic vegetation. The exotic snails damaged crops, raised utility costs, lowered home values, and hurt fishing, tourism, and outdoor activities. Unlike Florida's native apple snail, these invaders threaten to push out local species and disrupt ecosystems by eating aquatic plants essential for native fish, birds, and water quality. The FWC said in a public alert: 'If they fall into the water, they will still hatch.' The agency added that the only way to prevent more snails is to completely crush the egg sacs. The invasive apple snail is listed by the FWC as one of the 'world's worst invaders' due to the extensive damage it causes to crops and natural habitats. A 2021 study estimated that this kind of damage and cleanup has costed North America over $26 billion annually since 2010. Moreover, globally, the cost of invasive species has reached $1.288 trillion over the past 50 years. Florida's native apple snail grows slowly and lays fewer eggs. In contrast, invasive snails mature in two to three months and produce large egg clutches. Native apple snail eggs are pale salmon-colored, contain 20 to 80 large, pea-sized eggs, and turn white before hatching, according to the US Geological Survey. The invasive island apple snail can lay up to 2,000 tiny eggs packed in layered clutches several inches long, while the invasive channeled apple snail lays up to 800 slightly larger eggs per clutch. The huge number of eggs and fast reproduction make these snails hard to control. Identifying apple snails apart by their shells is tricky, since they all looks alike. However, Native Florida apple snails are smaller, about two to three inches long, with flat-topped shells. Their shell colors range from yellow to brownish-black. Some exotic snails show bright yellow-orange, yellow-green, or copper tones, a result of aquarium breeding. Their foot tissue also varies in color, from yellow to gray. Most invasive apple snails arrived in Florida through the pet trade. Federal law bans moving apple snails between states, but the FWC stresses pet owners should never release them into the wild.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
FIFO worker handed $30,000 payout after 'humiliating' accusation at mine
A FIFO miner has won a huge compensation payout after she was unfairly sacked for a major mine debacle. Jamie-Lee Corless-Crane was dismissed from her role as a pit technician in early January by Aurenne Management Services in Western Australia. She was deployed at the Mt Ida mine site near Menzies, and was accused of letting nearly 60 ounces of gold go to a dump instead of a processing plant. But the Fair Work Commission (FWC) has ruled in Corless-Crane's favour after finding there were people far more senior who should have been responsible for the mistake. "I am satisfied that a remedy of compensation of 16 weeks is appropriate. I note that this amount does not include a component for shock, humiliation or distress," Melanie Binet, deputy president of the Fair Work Commission, wrote in her assessment. RELATED FIFO worker earning $250,000 reveals how Aussies can get into mining industry Tradie loses $449,000 in an instant after missing key detail The top 10 highest salaries in Australia paying up to $700,000The FIFO worker was earning $100,000 per year in her role before she was sacked, meaning her compensation payout could be as high as $30,769. On January 7, Corless-Crane flew up to the mine site and commenced the first of her night shifts. During a pre-shift meeting, staff were shown the relevant mining sites and excavators that were in operation during the day and night. However, the FWC was told Corless-Crane was given an "obsolete" map, which she relied on during her shift. "An excavator operator contacted Ms Corless-Crane to inform her he was nearing what he believed to be a Block containing ore (the Wrongly Marked Location)," the FWC noted. "She says that her efforts to accurately identify the location were further hampered by the poor light and the fact that it was the early hours of the morning of her first shift on site." Even though the markings on the ground didn't match the map she was given, the FIFO worker asked the excavator operator for their opinion, and they agreed it was the correct spot. To make matters worse, the GPS system on the excavator wasn't working that night. Because excavation work had been done on the wrong location, an estimated 54 ounces of gold, worth roughly $200,000, was taken to waste piles rather than being taken to the plant for processing. That total of lost ore was also mined during the day before Corless-Crane's shift started. FIFO worker told she was responsible for $200,000 issue An investigation was conducted into the incident, and it wasn't until a week later that the worker received a message from her employer about their findings. "You did not take due diligence to ensure you had the right paperwork," she was told. "Instead of escalating, you assumed there was a mistake on the PSI board and proceeded. "On the same shift, you did not properly execute the duties of your role and failed to take control of the mining activity, in not recognising that the level the excavator operator was working did not match your flitch plans, and further, he had commenced digging before you had clear communication with him." Corless-Crane responded to the allegations and blamed the issue on the paperwork she received from the day shift crew, which "contained inaccuracies" that she wasn't aware of. "I rely on the paperwork provided by my crew. When I arrived at Cascade to inspect the ore, I found only a low-grade block that had already been exposed, with the block number marked on the ground matching the number on my map," she said. She added that being on night shift meant there was no supervisor around to ask, and that this responsibility shouldn't rest on her as the "least experienced member of my department". Corless-Crane was eventually sacked on January 22. FIFO worker takes sacking to Fair Work Commission She launched an unfair dismissal case and claimed to the FWC that she had struggled to find employment in similar positions since. As a single mother, she had found it difficult to find time to complete all the required medical tests and training. She submitted that if she didn't find a job by June, she was at risk of losing her home. While she previously worked as a hairdresser and DJ, she said the income from those jobs wouldn't be enough to cover her expenses. The FWC found the FIFO worker's day shift colleagues included "more senior, more qualified and more experienced employees" who "failed to notice that the handover documentation they received and relied on in the course of their shift, then handed over to Coreless-Crane, did not contain a map for the area to be mined". The Commission concluded that Corless-Crane "was not responsible" for the loss of the gold and the original error was started by "people far more qualified" than her. "The opportunity to identify the error earlier was missed by the excavator operators and Geology Team members operating during daylight hours with far better visibility and more experience than Ms Corless-Crane," it said. "Ms Corless-Crane was the last line of defence in a chain of successive failures of systems and employees. Each of those failures contributed to the loss of the ore." The FWC also noted none of the more senior colleagues were dismissed over the issue. Several weren't even subjected to disciplinary action, coaching or investigation, and one who was "ultimately responsible for the loss of all the ore" was only given a written in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- General
- Miami Herald
Elusive Florida predator spotted on trail cam — with two babies. See them
A rare Florida panther made an appearance on a trail camera, accompanied by another 'special' sight — her two kittens. The panther was spotted in the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed in southwest Florida by Tom Mortenson, a volunteer photographer for CREW Land & Water Trust. With around 200 panthers estimated to be left in the wild, adult panthers are rare enough. But on top of that, only about one-third of panther kittens make it to their first birthday, according to the FWC. Mortenson identified the adult female panther as FP266, collared in January 2024 by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the CREW Land & Water Trust said in an email. Mortenson said in the email that FP266 had 'been living evasively since her capture.' He caught a glimpse of her walking by his trail cam in May 2024, but since then, she's gained a couple new followers. In June, he spotted her on one of his cameras with a single kitten. FWC biologists told him FP266 had a second kitten, based on other sightings of the panther family. Then a month later, Mortenson captured the whole family in frame. Mortenson said he was recovering from a surgery when he checked his camera footage and spotted the mom and her two kittens. 'Seeing these photos come into my iPhone was a very special delight,' he said. Nighttime footage shows the mom and her two kittens passing through a clearing within the 70,000-acre watershed. Panther mothers start bringing their young along to hunt at around 2 months old, and they begin catching small animals on their own at around 9 months of age, according to the FWC. While researchers don't know exactly when juvenile panthers leave their mothers, females don't breed again until their young can survive without her, which typically happens by the time they turn 2. In March, biologists tracked down a litter of panther kittens born to a mom who lost all three kittens from her litter the year before, McClatchy News reported. Most panthers live in southwest Florida, according to the FWC, including the area in and around the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed.
