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The West Coast Zone (WCZ) recreational fishing season for abalone will begin this Saturday for licence-holders, with weather and ocean conditions placing a medium risk for fishing between 7am and 8am.

Surf Life Saving WA (SLSWA) surf prediction modelling recommends the fishing hour should go ahead on 11 December, with appropriate caution. Wave heights between 1 and 1.5 metres are expected, with moderate swell and onshore winds and temperatures around 20 degrees.

SLSWA modelling uses the best available information on these conditions from multiple sources and rates the risks for factors, such as wind speed, swell, tide and swell period.

Licensed abalone fishers who plan to take part in this Saturdays fishing hour in the WCZ between Moore River and the Busselton Jetty will still need to make their own evaluation of the sea and weather conditions on the day to ensure they have water skills to manage them. It is very important that participants also have suitable clothing and gearfor abalone fishing.

Due to an increase in sea surface temperatures in recent years, the sustainable recreational catch target range of 25 to 29 tonnes has been set for the 2021/22 season.

Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) Senior Management Officer Nick Blay said fishers should observe the safety messages and not rush out on to the reefs to collect their abalone.

The healthy abalone stocks off the Perth coast means there will be enough abalone for fishers and they should always keep in mind that no catch is worth risking a life for, Mr Blay said.

Safety is a key priority at all times for the department and we thank the SLSWA volunteers who monitor the abalone fishing hours to focus on the safety of fishers.

Apart from this Saturday, fishing from 7am and 8am can also take place on 8 January, as well as 5 February and 19 February.

It is important recreational fishers comply with the bag and size limits for abalone to ensure this resource continues to be sustainable. DPIRD Compliance officers will be at WCZ abalone fishing locations, to check compliance this Saturday and throughout the rest of the season.

More on abalone fishing rules is available at http://www.fish.wa.gov.au. SLSWA has abalone fishing safety tips at: https://www.mybeach.com.au/safety-rescue-services/coastal-recreation/abalone/

We urge anyone heading to WAs beaches at any time to switch on their Sea Sense check http://www.sharksmart.com.au or download the SharkSmart WA app. The app combines latest shark activity, as well as beach safety features such as Surf Life Saving WA patrolled beaches and weather forecasts, to help people plan their trips to the ocean.

Media contact: Ashley Malone, DPIRD media liaison - mobile 0418 901 767

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West Coast Zone abalone fishing season to start this Saturday - Government of Western Australia

One of the biggest wildlife conservation programs undertaken in Australia has reached a major milestone, celebrating 25 years of protecting our native wildlife. The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions' (DBCA) Western Shield program has been operating for 25 years and works to protect Western Australia's native wildlife through broadscale management of introduced predators, including foxes and feral cats.

Feral cats and foxes have been implicated in the extinction or decline of many of WA's native mammals, birds and reptiles. Research has shown that feral cats kill more than 1.5 billion native animals each year in Australia, and foxes are responsible for many more. One of the best ways to ensure the survival of these species is to control these introduced predators.

Western Shield has achieved significant conservation outcomes for many threatened mammal, bird and reptile species in WA, including the recovery of populations and increases in distribution.

More than 30 focal native species have directly benefited from the program, including the numbat, quokka, quenda, chuditch, woylie, western brush wallaby and black-flanked rock wallaby. Dryandra Woodland, near Narrogin, has benefited significantly through long-term introduced predator control, which has resulted in an increased number of numbats in this area.

Research has found a threefold increase in native animal numbers in forests where fox management occurs, including for threatened species like the chuditch and woylie. Fox density has also been reduced by up to 80 per cent in fox management areas in the State's South-West.

The management of introduced predators takes place across around 3.8 million hectares of DBCA's Parks and Wildlife Service-managed land and associated partner areas, from Karratha in the north, through forests of the South-West to east of Esperance.

The program is run with support from partners including Alcoa of Australia, Tronox, Western Areas Limited, South 32 Worsley Alumina, Newmont Boddington Gold, Commonwealth Department of Defence and Ventia.

Volunteers from all over the world are able to get involved in Western Shield through the online Zooniverse camera watch project. This citizen science program allows people to help to identify and classify animals from images taken by remote cameras that are located in national parks and conservation areas around WA. These camera images also help monitor numbers of foxes and feral cats in an area to inform on-ground management strategies.

Western Shield also contributes to a range of educational programs in both primary and secondary schools, helping to improve the community's knowledge of threatened species and the role fox and feral cat management can play in ensuring the survival of native fauna in the wild.

Comments attributed to Environment Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson:

"Introduced feral foxes and cats remain the single biggest threat to the survival and persistence of our vulnerable native animals.

"Over 25 years, as one of the largest conservation programs in Australia, Western Shield has achieved remarkable success in managing feral predators such as foxes and cats.

"The program continues to safeguard our native wildlife from extinction.

"Science is key to the program's success, with DBCA researchers developing and testing the management methods used to control introduced predators. Decades of scientific effort have refined tools that are proving effective at controlling foxes and feral cats in a range of different environments across WA."

Minister's office -6552 5900

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Media statements - Western Shield - protecting WA's native species for 25 years - Media Statements

Copenhagen, 25 November 2021

A new study by the WHO Regional Office for Europe and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) published in Eurosurveillance estimates that 470 000 lives have been saved among those aged 60 years and over since the start of COVID-19 vaccination rollout in 33 countries across the WHO European Region.

This estimate does not include lives saved by vaccinating people under 60 nor lives saved from the indirect effect of vaccination because of a reduction in transmission.

Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe says, COVID-19 has exacted a devastating death toll in our region, but we can now categorically say that without COVID-19 vaccines as a tool to contain this pandemic, many more people would have died.

The COVID-19 vaccines are a marvel of modern science, and what this research shows is that theyre doing what they promised, that is saving lives, offering very high protection against severe illness and death. In some countries, the death toll would have been double what it is now without the vaccines. It is therefore critically important that all Member States in the European Region achieve high coverage for people in the at-risk groups as soon as possible. Countries with lower vaccination uptake rates must continue to prioritize those who are at highest risk and protect vulnerable groups as rapidly as possible.

But vaccines must be accompanied by a range of preventive measures to keep transmission levels low and keep society open.

Since December 2019, over 1.5 million COVID-19 confirmed fatalities have been recorded in the countries of the WHO European Region, with 90.2% in those aged 60 years and over. The rapid development and administration of COVID-19 vaccines has provided much-needed protection from severe disease and death for millions of the most vulnerable, but the speed and extent of rollout of these vaccines across countries of the Region is inequitable.

Husband and wife Frank and Barbara Durrant, aged 78 and 74, respectively, live in East Devon in the United Kingdom and have four grandchildren. After receiving their second COVID-19 vaccination they caught the virus but made speedy recoveries.

Barbara Durrant says, I contracted COVID-19 approximately five weeks ago and suffered only a mild cold and loss of taste for a couple of weeks. I feel quite sure that being double vaccinated saved me from being much more seriously affected. Sadly, I lost a very dear, very fit friend who died of the virus before the vaccine was available. She had no choice.

Having received my second vaccination, I caught COVID-19 following an extended time spent in close contact with a friend who had the virus. The symptoms were so mild that were it not for a positive test I would have considered myself to have been fully fit. I attribute this, without doubt, to the fact that I had been doubly vaccinated, says Frank Durrant.

The authors from the WHO Regional Office for Europe and ECDC estimated the number of deaths among adults aged 60 years and older in 33 countries in the European Region that would have happened without any vaccines, using the actual weekly reported death counts.

They then calculated the number of lives saved due to COVID-19 vaccination as the difference between these estimates and the reported number of deaths from December 2020 to November 2021 for those aged 60 years and over.

They estimated that COVID-19 vaccination saved 469 186 lives in this age group in the 33 countries during the study period reducing the expected number of deaths by approximately half. In 30 countries with data also available in smaller age groups, the largest number of lives saved was among those aged 80 years and over (261 421 lives).

Uptake of the complete dose series of COVID-19 vaccines in those aged 60 years and over now ranges from 20% to 100% among the 33 countries under study. The study estimated that the largest number of lives saved was in countries where COVID-19 vaccination rollout was early and uptake in the target group was also high. Other countries experienced limited effects of vaccination because their vaccine rollout was either slower or rolled out in parallel with the ongoing effective use of non-pharmaceutical interventions to reduce transmission.

Dr Andrea Ammon, ECDC Director says, The consequences of low vaccination rates in some countries are currently being reflected in overloaded health-care systems and high mortality rates. We urge Member States to continue focusing on closing immunization gaps, especially among the most vulnerable individuals and those at highest risk of severe disease.

There are still too many individuals at risk of severe COVID-19 infection whom we need to protect as soon as possible. Even in countries that have achieved good overall vaccination coverage, there are still subpopulations and age groups in which coverage remains lower than desired. The vaccination of older age groups must continue to be an urgent priority for saving the most lives in the weeks and months to come.

Vaccination is one part of the toolbox of important measures needed to curb the pandemic, but on its own it will not end the health crisis.

A range of other measures that limit transmission of the virus are needed. They are essential to help keep society open as well as lessen the pressure on strained health-care systems and health-care workers exhausted by more than 18 months on the frontline of the pandemic.

First of all get vaccinated. Vaccination is saving lives in all age groups, says Dr Kluge. We know the virus thrives in closed, crowded and confined spaces, and thats why we must also follow measures known to reduce transmission, especially now the colder weather is driving us to gather indoors.

Wear a mask in crowded, closed and confined spaces, cover coughs and sneezes, keep physical distance from other people and wash your hands regularly. Ventilation is important too, so if its safe to do so open a window or a door to let in fresh air. Its important that authorities take these measures and that we do all of these for the protection of ourselves and others, even if we are fully vaccinated, because based on the available evidence vaccination greatly reduces but cannot stop virus transmission altogether.

By making these actions part of our daily routine, we can all help stop infection and the spread of the virus. In the same way that we routinely put on a seatbelt when driving, we should think to wash our hands, wear a mask or keep distance from other people, to protect from infection.

Until the pandemic is over countries must keep in place strong public health measures, such as free of charge testing and contact tracing to break chains of transmission, as well as urgently reaching out to all individuals in priority groups for vaccination who have not already received a full series.

Visit link:
WHO Regional Office for Europe: Nearly half a million lives saved by COVID-19 vaccination in less than a year - WHO/Europe

Health Minister Roger Cook has approved the removal of a smoking exemption for Crown Perth's International Room gaming facility, due to take effect from December 31, 2021.

Under Regulation 10(2) of the Tobacco Products Control Regulations 2006, smoking had been allowed within the International Room at Crown Perth previously.

The Department of Health has been in liaison with Crown Perth about the change to the Regulations to remove the smoking exemption. The amended Regulations are due to be published in the Government Gazette in mid-December 2021.

Once the amendment takes effect, Crown Perth must abide by the same smoke-free requirement that applies to all enclosed hospitality premises in Western Australia.

Exposure to second-hand smoke is a proven health risk and an occupational health and safety issue for staff and the community. The most effective way to protect people from the adverse health effects of second-hand smoke is to provide a smoke free environment.

The Regulations ban smoking in or around all enclosed public places in WA including those on licensed premises. The Regulations apply to public premises including shopping centres, theatres and cinemas, airports, cafes and restaurants, pubs, bars and night clubs, sporting clubs and public transport including buses, trains and taxis.

The laws aim to reduce community exposure to second-hand smoke. Numerous scientific studies have shown that exposure to second-hand smoke causes or promotes illnesses and diseases including lung cancer and heart disease.

Comments attributed to Health Minister Roger Cook:

"Western Australia has been a frontrunner when it comes to public health measures to protect our citizens from the dangers of second-hand smoke in a variety of public places.

"For more than 22 years we have had widespread smoking bans in Western Australia.

"There is no good reason to maintain the smoking exemption at Crown's International Room and that is why I proposed to remove it.

"Once the amendment takes effect, people will not be allowed to smoke in the International Room area at Crown Perth. I'd like to thank Crown for their co-operation."

Minister's office - 6552 6500

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Smoking to be banned in Crown Perth's International Room area - Media Statements

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The more Canadians learn of government failure to prepare for the floods, the more they're likely to take a fresh view of climate issues

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Canadians may be slowly coming around to the idea that the British Columbia flood crisis cannot be solely chalked up to climate change, no matter how frequently media write that script. The doubtful science behind the alleged link between atmospheric rivers and the flooding of the Sumas Prairie is usually glossed over by claiming that while the floods are maybe not a direct consequence of climate change, they are nevertheless consistent with the extreme events that are forecast to be routine by the end of the century under a climate-changed future.

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As I tried to outline in my most recent column , there are many factors behind the B.C. flood disaster other than climate change. The British Columbia flood crisis, in fact, is an opportunity to begin a real policy discussion with a view to rethinking the current Canadian and international drive to net-zero carbon.

This is not a cynical call to never let a crisis go to waste. In a perverse way, the flood damage that will cost billions to repair demonstrates the high risks associated with political and economic plans imposed from on high. Also on the line is the irrefutable evidence that governments and politicians failed to act on mountains of evidence that massive flooding of the Sumas Valley was predicted and inevitable and unprepared for.

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The more Canadians learn of the failure of governments and other agencies to prepare for the floods that continue today, the more they are likely to take a fresh view of climate issues, whether carbon related or not.

And there is so much to learn. Hundreds of reports, studies, agencies, councils and commissions provide documentary evidence of the colossal breakdown in the governance system. Even the CBC, which rarely sees a crisis that cannot be linked to climate change, seemed set to open a new window on the flood story Thursday night on The Fifth Estate. A tweeted promo for the new episode said Were in B.C. after catastrophic flooding devastated parts of the province and investigating how the provincial government should have seen this coming.

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But that is actually the wrong question. The government of British Columbia and federal officials did see this coming. It was a known, uncontested and scientifically solid prediction. The 100-year-old system of dikes and networks that protected the areas, while frequently updated and improved over the decades, would inevitably fail, and likely in a catastrophic manner.

They knew the floods were coming and climate change had nothing to do with it.

Another indicator that they knew was identified the other day by Tyler Olsen, an intrepid B.C. journalist with the Fraser Valley Current. A doomed Sumas dike failed as predicted. Many other levees could be next, said the headline on Olsens report on a five-year-old engineers inspection of the Sumas dike. They warned the dike was two feet lower than it should be and would be unable to stop flood waters if and when the Nooksack River breached its banks.

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The dike, said the engineers, was substandard, and needed to be updated. Dike overflow is expected during the Nooksack River overflow. And so it did overflow. Olsen asks the logical question: Why was the Sumas dike never fixed? One reason is that its inadequacy is incredibly common across the lower Mainland.

But these stories and reports just tickle the surface of an underground vault filled with warnings about the total inadequacy of the entire Sumas Valley water-control system, which stretches down into the State of Washington. That makes the B.C. flood crisis part of an international problem that dates back to the origins of the elaborate water-control infrastructure that was imposed by governments a century ago. As historian Chad Reimer documents in his 2018 book Before We Lost the Lake , the human attempt to micro-manage the vast geography was an act of hubris that did not turn out as planned.

The real connection between the 2021 floods and climate change is not in the flow of water but in the flow of ideas. In 1924, engineers and political operators had a grand vision that they believed would allow them to assert control over a vast natural system without fully understanding the nature of the system and the risks.

The same can be said today of the global effort an ideological river to control the weather and the climate by imposing a massive economic restructuring on the way to net-zero carbon emissions.

Financial Post

Email: tcorcoran@postmedia.com | Twitter: terencecorcoran

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Terence Corcoran: The real link from floods to climate - Financial Post