Latest news with #FWC
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Florida Python Challenge 2025: More than 900 hunters competed for $25,000 in prizes
With Florida's annual Burmese python hunt wrapping up Sunday (July 20) at 5 p.m., the next phase of the 2025 competition will be the announcement of the winners, including the $10,000 grand prize recipient for most pythons caught. According to Lisa Thompson, spokesperson for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, this year's winners will be announced "in a few weeks after all data has been processed and verified." A total of $25,000 in prize money will be distributed to winners in three categories − professional, novice and military. More: Florida python hunter describes python bite: 'Like a mouthful of hypodermic needles' How many hunters participated in the 2025 Florida Python Challenge? This year's competition started at 12:01 a.m. on July 11 at eight competition locations. Thompson said there were 933 total registered participants this year coming from two countries (U.S. and Canada). That was up from 857 participants in 2025. "And we had 30 states represented (including Florida)," Thompson said. Florida Python Challenge 2024 results. 195 pythons removed Last year, according to FWC, 195 Burmese pythons were removed. Ronald Kiger (20 Burmese pythons removed) was the 2024 Grand Prize winner. How serious is the python problem in Florida? Burmese pythons have wrought destruction in the Florida Everglades. They've contributed to the decline of small mammals including raccoons, opossums, bobcats, foxes, marsh rabbits and cottontail rabbits. A recent study revealed that Burmese pythons can eat prey much larger than previously reported. Scientists observed a Burmese python swallowing a 77-pound white-tailed deer, nearly 70 percent of the snake's mass. What is the Florida Python Challenge? The Florida Python Challenge is a ten-day competition encouraging participants to remove Burmese pythons from seven Commission-managed lands in South Florida. According to FWC, the event is held to raise public awareness about invasive species in Florida, like Burmese pythons, that are a threat to the Everglades ecosystem. Where was the 2025 Florida Python Challenge held? The Florida Python Challenge took place at these eight competition locations:Big Cypress Wildlife Management AreaEverglades National Park Florida Python Challenge 2025 prizes Along with the$10,000 top prize for the most pythons caught, this is the breakdown by category: Professional Category Most Pythons Professional Category $2,500 Most Pythons Professional Category Runner Up $1,500 Longest Python Professional Category $1,000 Novice Category Most Pythons Novice Category $2,500 Most Pythons Novice Category Runner Up $1,500 Longest Python Novice Category $1,000 Military Category Most Pythons Military Category $2,500 Most Pythons Military Category Runner Up $1,500 Longest Python Military Category $1,000 Burmese pythons in Florida must be humanely killed If you catch a Burmese python in Florida, you must humanely kill the snake where it was captured. Transporting live pythons is not allowed. Two steps must be completed to kill a python humanely: Step 1 - Target the brain: The application of the tool should immediately result in the python losing consciousness. Draw an imaginary line between each eye and opposite jawbone. The brain is located where the two lines intersect. Apply the tool to the target area (brain) to achieve an immediate loss of consciousness. Step 2- Destroy the brain: Immediately and substantially destroy the python's brain by manually 'pithing' which prevents the python from regaining consciousness. How many Burmese pythons are in Florida? "Burmese pythons are hard to find due to their cryptic coloration and secretive behaviors, and their low detection probability is a major challenge to effective python control and research," according to Florida Fish and Wildlife. However, conservative estimates by the USGS put the Burmese python population in the Florida Everglades region in the tens of thousands. Can Burmese pythons ever be removed from Florida? Because Burmese pythons are distributed across more than a thousand square miles of southern Florida, including all of Everglades National Park and across the southern coast, the chances of completely eliminating the snake from Florida is low. Controlling their numbers and preventing their spread out of the area are critical goals for conservation efforts and land managers, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: How many pythons were caught in the 2025 Florida Python Challenge? Solve the daily Crossword
CBS News
20 hours ago
- Science
- CBS News
Pink boba blobs or "world's worst invaders?" What to know about Florida's apple snails
Florida is home to several species of animals — some native and some invasive. From alligators and iguanas to pythons and panthers, the Sunshine State boasts a diverse ecosystem that supports a wide range of fauna. However, suppose you've ever come across what appears to be pink blobs of boba attached to concrete or plants near bodies of water. In that case, you've come across what the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) dubs one of the "world's worst invaders": the apple snail. According to the FWC, Florida is home to several species of Pomacea apple snails, including the native Florida apple snail, and four exotic species native to South America: the island apple snail, channeled apple snail, spike-topped apple snail and the titan apple snail. As of 2013, exotic populations have been seen in at least 29 watersheds in 38 of Florida's 67 counties, with the most abundant species being the island apple snail. Although these snails are typically found in freshwater, the FWC said some can tolerate brackish water. For example, the island snail has been observed in tidally influenced portions of rivers and along sea walls of South Florida canals. In the last decade, apple snails have received the FWC's attention because of their ability to damage wetland crops through foraging. "Channeled and island apple snails are opportunistic feeders that consume a variety of aquatic vegetation, fruits and vegetables, algae, remains of decaying organisms, and other snail eggs," the agency said. "Because of damage to crops, the channeled apple snail is listed as one of the world's worst invaders." The FWC also said there is concern that the snail's "haphazard appetite" for large aquatic vegetation could alter aquatic ecosystems. In Florida, especially, there is also concern that the native Florida apple snail's population could be displaced. Currently, there is little the FWC can do to curb exotic apple snail populations, especially because most established exotic species are often a part of the exotic pet trade. According to the FWC, federal law states that it is illegal for apple snails to be imported across state lines and the agency suggests that pet owners refrain from releasing them into the wild. According to the FWC, apple snails vary in size and shape, with the Florida apple snail being around two to three inches long and having a shell that is often flat across the top. Meanwhile, the island and channeled apple snails are typically larger and have a distinct channel between the whorls. Specifically, the island apple snail is the largest known species in the state, with shell sizes alone growing up to five inches in length. The FWC said similarities in appearances among the non-native apple snail species make identification "very difficult." Wild snail populations range in shell color from yellow to brownish-black and may contain stripes or dimpling. Also, the FWC said selective breeding in the aquarium trade has led to other color variations and patterns, with some snails having bright shell colors like yellow-orange, yellow-green or copper, and their foot tissues having pigment variations ranging from yellow to orange to gray. While the Florida apple snail can take up to six months to reach sexual maturity, the exotic apple snail species — island and channeled — can reach sexual maturity at around two to three months of age. "These species lay eggs above the waterline on almost any hard surface," the FWC said. The agency said that the size, shape and number of eggs can help identify species, but egg clutches can also vary in size, color and number of eggs depending on water conditions, season, food availability and the snail's age. The FWC said the egg clutches of Florida apple snails have the largest individual eggs at around the size of a pea, but the fewest per clutch at around 20 to 80. Meanwhile, the egg clutches of exotic island apple snails tend to have smaller eggs, slightly larger than a pinhead, and are more densely packed with many egg layers. Typically, the clutch's length may be several inches and can have up to 2,000 eggs, the FWC said. Channeled apple snail egg clutches have slightly larger eggs and few total eggs, up to 800. When laid, Florida apple snail eggs are a pale salmon color that quickly turns white. However, island and channeled apple snails lay pink eggs that turn white-gray before hatching. "Unfortunately, using egg masses for apple snail identification can be difficult because of variations caused by environmental factors and all turn white before hatching," the FWC said. The FWC advises that when anyone comes across island and channeled apple snail egg clutches, they should "be crushed whenever possible." "Scraping eggs and letting them fall to the water does not prevent them from hatching," the agency said. The FWC also said that if you come across Florida apple snail egg clutches, they should be left undisturbed.
Perth Now
a day ago
- Business
- Perth Now
Vow to protect penalty rates for 2.6m workers
Labor will move to protect penalty and overtime rates for about 2.6 million workers, saying 'hardworking' Aussies rely on the entitlements to 'keep their heads above water'. Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Amanda Rishworth will introduce the Bill on Thursday, and urged the Greens and Coalition to support the proposed legislation. The law would prohibit the Fair Work Commission to reduce an overtime or penalty rate, or substitute the entitlements if it reduces the overall take-home pay a worker would otherwise receive. An award would not be able to be altered if there was evidence that even a single worker would be worse off under an arrangement which traded an overtime or penalty entitlement. Ms Rishworth said the change would protect about 2.6 million award-reliant workers. 'If you rely on the modern award safety net and work weekends, public holidays, early mornings or late nights, you deserve to have your wages protected,' she said. 'Millions of hardworking Australians rely on penalty rates and overtime rates to keep their heads above water, which is why this Bill is so critical and should receive the support of both the Opposition and the Greens.' Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Amanda Rishworth is set to introduce the legislation on Thursday. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia The election promise was prompted by a FWC review launched the Australian Retailers Association to allow senior management to take a 25 per cent wage increase above minimum award entitlements in exchange for overtime, weekend and public holiday penalty rates and rest breaks. The move has been backed by the supermarket giants, plus beauty giant Mecca, as well as Kmart, Costco and 7-Eleven. Prior to the election, then employment minister Murray Watt wrote to the FWC to stop large retailers from cutting the entitlements, in a rare act of government intervention. Enshrining penalty rates was a key demand from the Australian Council of Trade Unions, with secretary Sally McManus previously arguing workers should be compensated for sacrificing their weekends. The proposed bill will override the FWC's ability to reduce penalty and overtime rates in modern awards, or substitute the entitlements if even a single worker is worse off. NewsWire/ Nicholas Eagar Credit: NewsWire However, the legislation will likely will likely be opposed by the Coalition, with industrial relations and employment spokesman Tim Wilson stating the independent FWC was already responsible for ensuring 'workers get the best arrangements possible for a fair days work'. Instead he lashed Labor's proposed Bill as being politically motivated. 'There is no threat to penalty rates,' he said on Saturday. 'What there is, is a political focus of the Government that isn't focused towards improving the economic conditions to help small businesses grow, to enable them to go on and employ the next generation of workers, to give those first generation, those first jobs to young Australians so that they can be independent and be able to get on with their economic futures.'
NZ Herald
7 days ago
- Business
- NZ Herald
Fair Work slaps down Australian dad's work-from-home request to help care for school-aged kids
The working dad wanted to keep his arrangement of working-from-home twice a week to help look after his children. Photo / Getty Images Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech. The working dad wanted to keep his arrangement of working-from-home twice a week to help look after his children. Photo / Getty Images An Australian dad who tried to get his employer to let him work from home twice a week, to help care for his school-age children, has had his request denied. The dad took his legal bid to the Fair Work Commission (FWC) after attempts to reach a compromise with his employer failed. Paul Collins, a technical specialist at global software company Intersystems Australia, sought the ability to work from home two days a week in order to help care for his school-aged children, aged 8 and 10. His application, filed in January, also said mentioned he needed better 'work-life balance'. His bid has not been successful. His employer, Intersystems, operates an online record system in Australia known as TrakCare, used by healthcare providers to allow the sharing of health information between facilities and organisations. The employee had previous been working remotely two days a week in late 2024, under a hybrid working model the company had adopted during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sky News AU
17-07-2025
- Business
- Sky News AU
A Fair Work Commission ruling on a WFH dispute could have massive impact on working parents
A Sydney father must return to the office following a ruling by the Fair Work Commission, after he asked for a compromise to his work schedule to care for his children - in a ruling that could affect other Australian working families. Paul Collins, a technical specialist at global software company InterSystems Australia, lodged an application with Fair Work seeking flexible working arrangements after attempts to reach a compromise with his employer failed. He submitted a request in January to work from home every Wednesday and Thursday to care for his 8- and 10-year-old children and the need for a work and life balance. Until late 2024, Mr Collins had been working remotely on both these days under a hybrid working model adopted by InterSystems following the Covid-19 pandemic. In November that same year, the company announced it was ending this arrangement and staff would need to return to the office five days a week from February 2025. Mr Collins' WFH request was denied, but InterSystems offered an alternate arrangement of one work-from-home day per week. This was rejected and Mr Collins escalated the dispute to the FWC. In her judgment on Monday, FWC deputy president Lyndall Dean said she was not satisfied Mr Collins had established the 'requisite nexus' between his responsibility as a parent and the change he was seeking in his work arrangements. She said his written request 'merely expressed a preference to continue with a pre-existing pattern of remote work' and did not specify how working from home twice a week 'specifically supported or related to his parental responsibilities'. The judgement comes as companies attempt to get people back into the office full time following the end of COVID restrictions. During the federal election campaign, then opposition leader Peter Dutton wanted public servants in Canberra to return to the office, but walked the policy back following a backlash from the Albanese government and trade unions who believed the policy would negatively impact women. Newly appointed opposition leader Sussan Ley has endorsed full time working from home arrangements for some working families if the need arises.
