Latest news with #GeoffWilliams
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Tragic discovery in Aussie river prompts $40,000 fine warning
After three platypus were killed in an illegal fishing trap at a major east coast river in just a few days, a conservationist has warned the loss could "knock a fairly big hole" in the region's total population. The Australian Platypus Conservancy reported that three of the uniquely Aussie mammals were found dead in the Little Yarra River at Yarra Junction in Victoria last week, a sobering reminder of the consequences of enclosed yabbying and fishing nets, which the state banned in mid-2017. The group said it's "worrying that, having killed a platypus one day", the same person "would come back and kill two more the next". While there's been a significant improvement since the traps were prohibited, according to Director Geoff Williams, there are some people that still fail to get the message. Speaking to Yahoo, Williams warned that removing even a few individuals could have serious impacts on local platypus numbers. "Most platypus populations occur naturally at relatively low levels of abundance," he said. "For example, for the Little Yarra River, our previous surveys indicate a population density of around only two to three adults per kilometre. Therefore, a trap that kills three individuals at one spot is knocking a fairly big hole in the total population." Why is the loss of two to three platypus potentially devastating? That kind of loss is particularly alarming in a species like the platypus, which is already facing growing threats from habitat loss, pollution, climate change and reduced river flows. The iconic mammal has slow reproduction rates and often relies on stable territories to thrive. In small, fragmented populations, losing just a few adults — especially breeding females — can severely affect genetic diversity, reduce breeding success in future seasons, and disrupt the delicate balance of local ecosystems. In isolated systems like the Little Yarra River, where numbers are already low, these deaths represent not just an immediate loss, but a potential long-term setback to the viability of the entire population. It's not the first time that fishing gear has caused a platypus's death, with another found entangled in fishing line in Sydney earlier this year. Experts said the death was the fourth in mere months. Williams said that since easy-to-buy traps, such as opera house nets, have largely disappeared, there has been a vast improvement. But, occasionally, unlawful traps do emerge. "You can never have enough public education on such issues, especially for those who think 'home-made' traps are somehow not subject to the basic regulations," he said. "Illegal trap usage tends to be most prevalent in 'urban fringe' areas — as was the case in this incident," he said. "In other words, genuine country people tend to know and respect the rules and city people are not involved anyway (except possibly during holiday periods when they might try yabbying or fishing with the kids)." 🎣 Plea after fisherman fined $2000 for 'doing the wrong thing' 💦 Sad find in river highlights 'urgent' crisis: 'Heartbreaking' 🏖️ Disturbing find exposes problem taking over Aussie waterways Williams said that enforcement is always welcome, with anecdotal reports suggesting that many states and territories have reduced the number of wildlife and fisheries officers "out-and-about in the field". In Victoria, illegally using enclosed fishing traps can result in fines up to $39,652 or 24 months' prison, while killing protected wildlife is a criminal offence. The Victorian Fisheries Authority is currently investigating the incident at Yarra Junction — anyone with information can contact the VFA Hotline on 13FISH (13 3474). Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
New York Times
15-07-2025
- Health
- New York Times
After Devastating Winter Losses, Another Threat Looms for U.S. Beekeepers
Every January, Charles Linder travels from Illinois to Idaho to retrieve thousands of bee hives from a temperature-controlled storage facility. He loads boxes of hives onto a semi truck headed west for almond season, the first of many stops his bees will make on a cross-country pollination tour. But two winters ago, Mr. Linder opened those boxes and discovered that around 90 percent of his bees were dead. 'It was gut-wrenching,' he said. 'There's an emotional loss from that. There's a frustration that you didn't do your job right. And then the economics hit.' His experience was not unique. The western honeybee, Apis mellifera, is the workhorse of American agriculture, pollinating more than 130 types of nuts, fruits and vegetables — some $15 billion worth of the nation's crops — every year. But as the commercial beekeeping industry in the United States has grown, so too have its losses. Nearly 56 percent of managed honeybee colonies died off in the past year, according to preliminary results released in June by the U.S. Beekeeping Survey. That is the highest rate recorded since annual reporting began in 2011. 'Beekeepers, especially commercial ones, experienced a particularly bad year,' Geoff Williams, an entomologist at Auburn University who coordinated the survey, wrote in an email. The results, he said, highlight 'the tremendous strain honeybees and beekeepers are facing to safeguard our food supply.' Honeybee health has been negatively affected by a combination of factors: unpredictable weather, habitat loss, pesticides and disease. But one of the biggest threats is a parasite known as varroa destructor, a Southeast Asian mite that arrived in the United States in the late 1980s. In June, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that viruses spread by varroa were a leading cause of the past year's colony collapses, with an estimated financial impact of $600 million for beekeeping businesses. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
