Latest news with #McGaw
News.com.au
4 days ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Unbeaten youngster McGaw ‘bigger and stronger' for spring three-year-old campaign
A bigger and stronger version of exciting galloper McGaw is back in work to prepare for his spring three-year-old campaign. McGaw banked more than $600,000 in only two starts as a two-year-old, winning a Pakenham maiden on debut before powering to victory from a wide gate in the VOBIS Showdown at Caulfield on March 15. Those wins attracted the interest of several Hong Kong buyers but co-trainer Emma-Lee Browne said the son of I Am Immortal's owners knocked back all offers. 'There was a fair bit of interest but the owners decided to keep him,' Browne, who trains McGaw in partnership with her husband David, said. 'He's already paid for himself so they decided they'd rather race on with him.' The Brownes had the luxury of spelling McGaw at their property, giving them the opportunity to inspect the gelding almost daily. Browne said McGaw had developed the muscle to match his leggy frame in the last three months. 'He's grown more and he's a big boy now as he's put on great condition,' she said. 'He's back in about three or four weeks now. 'He's finally grown into his frame. He was quite leggy and needed to fill out but he's done that perfectly, which is exciting.' Browne said the stable aimed to have McGaw back at the races at Caulfield in the early weeks of August. 'We're looking to kick him off in the Vain (Stakes),' she said. 'We're thinking he'll probably have two jumpouts and they have some at Caulfield as well so we might head there with him.' Browne said McGaw's first two runs as a three-year-old would determine whether connections would target the Caulfield Guineas over 1600m or shorter contests. 'We have a done a gene test on him that suggests we may be able to stretch him out,' she said. 'But that's all dependent on how he settles in running and things like that. 'He's only had the two starts, and in one, he came from the back and he went forward in the other. 'We'll know a lot more after his first couple of starts.'
Otago Daily Times
18-06-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
'Devastating': Hundreds of birds caught by trawler
A single fishing vessel hauled in 207 seabirds in one "devastating" go while trawling off Southland's coast earlier this year, Forest & Bird revealed yesterday. Forest & Bird Otago-Southland regional conservation manager Chelsea McGaw said 207 adult sooty shearwaters (tītī) were captured near Te Waewae Bay between January 1 and March 31 — right in the middle of the bird's breeding season. While the birds did number in the millions, their numbers were declining and their nesting sites were considered a "critically endangered ecosystem" on mainland New Zealand. There were four colonies of the birds on the mainland — one near Sandfly Bay, at Otago Peninsula (where 72 chicks fledged this year), one at St Clair, one at Long Point (Irahuka) in the Catlins and one in Bluff. It was possible some of the birds caught were from a mainland site and a "high majority" of the birds caught by the fishing vessel would have had chicks in their nests at the time that now would have died as a result, Ms McGaw said. The capture would have had "cascading effects" on colonies and captures such as this one needed to be avoided. "When you're fishing, you're there to catch fish, right? "And dragging out 207 seabirds, that's just insane to me. "Just the fact that one single trawl has hauled up 207 seabirds in one go is pretty devastating." It was "sobering" catches such as this were not illegal, as long as they were reported. She called on the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to urgently review and strengthen seabird bycatch mitigation in trawl fisheries. "Unlike in surface longline fisheries, where international best practice (three out of three mitigation measures) is now in place, trawl fisheries still rely on inconsistent voluntary measures." Fisheries New Zealand fisheries management director Emma Taylor said the bycatch had been included in MPI's quarterly bycatch data. A New Zealand-based commercial fishing vessel operating off the south coast of the South Island had reported the accidental catch of 207 sooty shearwaters in February. The vessel was operating an onboard camera, and footage of the capture was reviewed by Fisheries New Zealand. "The vessel was also using mitigation measures, including batch waste disposal during towing," she said. "For your information, the total population of sooty shearwaters has been estimated to be about 21million birds. "No fisher wants to catch seabirds, but it is not illegal to accidentally catch them." The fisher took the steps required following the capture, reported the incident to Fisheries New Zealand and notified a Department of Conservation protected species liaison officer. Fisheries New Zealand staff also met commercial fishers in the region to discuss the incident. "We provided information about operational measures they could take to reduce the likelihood of further bycatch events in the area, including avoiding the area of the capture, and ensuring appropriate mitigation measures were being used." Seafood New Zealand inshore general manager Tiff Bock said the industry body was concerned about the loss of birdlife. "It is no exaggeration to say it has a serious impact on the fisher, who is really upset about what happened. "We find ourselves agreeing with Forest & Bird that a one-off capture event like this is devastating. "We hate to see birds harmed. "In this case, we can reassure you that the fisher was doing everything he was supposed to be doing in terms of location and procedures to avoid bird interactions. "The muttonbirds [tītī] congregated around the vessel en masse after the fishing gear was in the water, leaving him with nothing he could practically do." Since the incident, Seafood New Zealand had organised an event to get all the local fishers together to discuss protecting seabirds and mammals "and they agreed to a range of measures including avoiding some areas", Ms Bock said. The latest data from MPI showed 98% of the time a commercial net or line or other device was put in the water there was "no interaction with a protected marine mammal or bird".
Otago Daily Times
17-06-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Hundreds of birds caught at once
A single fishing vessel hauled in 207 seabirds in one "devastating" go while trawling off Southland's coast earlier this year, Forest & Bird revealed yesterday. Forest & Bird Otago-Southland regional conservation manager Chelsea McGaw said 207 adult sooty shearwaters (tītī) were captured near Te Waewae Bay between January 1 and March 31 — right in the middle of the bird's breeding season. While the birds did number in the millions, their numbers were declining and their nesting sites were considered a "critically endangered ecosystem" on mainland New Zealand. There were four colonies of the birds on the mainland — one near Sandfly Bay, at Otago Peninsula (where 72 chicks fledged this year), one at St Clair, one at Long Point (Irahuka) in the Catlins and one in Bluff. It was possible some of the birds caught were from a mainland site and a "high majority" of the birds caught by the fishing vessel would have had chicks in their nests at the time that now would have died as a result, Ms McGaw said. The capture would have had "cascading effects" on colonies and captures such as this one needed to be avoided. "When you're fishing, you're there to catch fish, right? "And dragging out 207 seabirds, that's just insane to me. "Just the fact that one single trawl has hauled up 207 seabirds in one go is pretty devastating." It was "sobering" catches such as this were not illegal, as long as they were reported. She called on the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to urgently review and strengthen seabird bycatch mitigation in trawl fisheries. "Unlike in surface longline fisheries, where international best practice (three out of three mitigation measures) is now in place, trawl fisheries still rely on inconsistent voluntary measures." Fisheries New Zealand fisheries management director Emma Taylor said the bycatch had been included in MPI's quarterly bycatch data. A New Zealand-based commercial fishing vessel operating off the south coast of the South Island had reported the accidental catch of 207 sooty shearwaters in February. The vessel was operating an onboard camera, and footage of the capture was reviewed by Fisheries New Zealand. "The vessel was also using mitigation measures, including batch waste disposal during towing," she said. "For your information, the total population of sooty shearwaters has been estimated to be about 21million birds. "No fisher wants to catch seabirds, but it is not illegal to accidentally catch them." The fisher took the steps required following the capture, reported the incident to Fisheries New Zealand and notified a Department of Conservation protected species liaison officer. Fisheries New Zealand staff also met commercial fishers in the region to discuss the incident. "We provided information about operational measures they could take to reduce the likelihood of further bycatch events in the area, including avoiding the area of the capture, and ensuring appropriate mitigation measures were being used." Seafood New Zealand inshore general manager Tiff Bock said the industry body was concerned about the loss of birdlife. "It is no exaggeration to say it has a serious impact on the fisher, who is really upset about what happened. "We find ourselves agreeing with Forest & Bird that a one-off capture event like this is devastating. "We hate to see birds harmed. "In this case, we can reassure you that the fisher was doing everything he was supposed to be doing in terms of location and procedures to avoid bird interactions. "The muttonbirds [tītī] congregated around the vessel en masse after the fishing gear was in the water, leaving him with nothing he could practically do." Since the incident, Seafood New Zealand had organised an event to get all the local fishers together to discuss protecting seabirds and mammals "and they agreed to a range of measures including avoiding some areas", Ms Bock said. The latest data from MPI showed 98% of the time a commercial net or line or other device was put in the water there was "no interaction with a protected marine mammal or bird".
Otago Daily Times
17-06-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
'Unacceptable': Hundreds of tītī killed in trawler catch
The native tītī or sooty shearwater is native to New Zealand and classified as at risk/declining. Photo: Wiki Commons More than 200 seabirds were accidentally caught and killed by a fishing trawler in Te Waewae Bay in Southland earlier this year. Forest & Bird is demanding more information from the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) about the 207 deaths, published in MPI's quarterly bycatch report for January to March. The birds were adult tītī sooty shearwaters, which are native to New Zealand and classified as at risk/declining. Forest & Bird's regional conservation manager for Otago and Southland Chelsea McGaw said the birds were likely to have been foraging at sea to feed their chicks, which likely starved to death. "The scale of bycatch is unacceptable and right now, it's failing our wildlife," she said. "It is a sobering thought that catches like this are not illegal, as long as they are reported." Forest & Bird said it wanted to know what the ministry and commercial trawl fisheries were doing to prevent a repeat of similar deaths in future. McGaw said it should be considered a warning sign. "A trawler that can kill this many tītī in one go could easily wipe out other threatened or at-risk seabirds, like the toroa Antipodean albatross. We need mandatory, enforceable rules that include effective bird scaring devices and fish waste management," she said. MPI's bycatch quarterly report showed 1083 seabirds and protected marine species accidentally were captured by fishing vessels between January to March. Of those, 771 died. In other instances, 18 leatherback turtles were killed by a vessel off the coast of Auckland, 17 fur seals were killed by a boat in the Southeast region, and 45 "unidentified" petrels, prions or shearwaters were killed in one instance off the coast of Auckland.
Boston Globe
30-05-2025
- Health
- Boston Globe
R.I. House passes human composting bill, shifting focus to Senate
Corvese said he realized the House was about to pass the bill. But, he said, 'I just want to assure my constituents back in District 55 in North Providence — I do not intend to compost grandma." Get Rhode Map A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State. Enter Email Sign Up On Friday, the bill's sponsor, Representative Michelle E. McGaw, told the Globe that the legislation is meant to provide another option in addition to traditional burial in a coffin or cremation. So, she said, '(Corvese) doesn't have to compost grandma if he doesn't want to.' Advertisement Representative Michelle E. McGaw, a Portsmouth Democrat, has introduced a human composting bill. Handout McGaw, a Portsmouth Democrat, said some funeral homes in the state are interested in making this option available, and she has constituents interested in it. 'It's enabling legislation,' she said. 'Anyone who is not comfortable with these options can choose from one of the other options that are already available.' Rhode Island would join 13 other states that have passed human composting legislation, including Maine, Vermont, and New York. Advertisement McGaw said human composting aims to reduce the impact on the earth. Burial involves occupying land and paying for things such as caskets, grave liners, and gravestones, while cremation requires the burning of fossil fuel, pouring an average of 534 pounds of carbon into the atmosphere for each cremation, she said. With human composting, dead bodies are placed inside vessels along with organic matter that helps speed the natural decomposition process, McGaw explained. An indoor chamber keeps the vessels between 130 to 160 degrees, and the contents are blended regularly over the course of four to seven weeks. The result is about a cubic yard of nutrient-dense soil. This year, the legislation has been broadened to include alkaline hydrolysis, also known as water cremation, which is legal in 28 states, McGaw said. For that process, McGaw said, a body is placed into a vessel with water and alkaline substances — potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide, or a combination. The vessel is heated up and the alkaline solutions return the body, which is already mostly water, to 'a clean water product, with no tissue or DNA,' she said. Bone fragments are left over, similarly to cremation. Those remains are ground up, and a fine white ash is placed in an urn, McGaw said. 'Instead of soil, you get water,' she said. McGaw said she hopes this is the year her bill becomes law. 'As you saw, the debate was far less on the House floor this year,' she said. 'When you see people at fundraisers or in the hallways, they say 'Tell me about this bill, help me understand it better.' It has definitely been a conversation piece. As people get more education about what the bill actually does, they are becoming more comfortable with it.' Advertisement The legislation would enable licensed disposition facilities, including those that also perform cremation, to offer natural organic reduction and/or alkaline hydrolysis, subject to licensing, inspection, and regulations set by the state Department of Health. The bill, which would take effect on Jan. 30, 2027, would not affect burial or cremation as options Rhode Islanders can choose. Attention now shifts to the Senate, which has new leaders following the Senator Tiara T. Mack, a Providence Democrat, has introduced On Friday, Senate spokesman Greg Pare said new Senate President Valarie J. Lawson, an East Providence Democrat, will be reviewing testimony on the bill and speaking with Senator Melissa A. Murray, the Woonsocket Democrat who chairs the Health and Human Services Committee. Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at
