Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s chief medical adviser, said on Sunday that he does not think the United States will return to lockdowns, even as the number of coronavirus cases in the country spikes largely because of the highly infectious delta variant.
“I don’t think we’re going to see lockdowns. I think we have enough of the percentage of people in the country, not enough to crush the outbreak, but I believe enough to not allow us to get into the situation we were in last winter,” Fauci told host Jon Karl on ABC’s “This Week.”
He did, however, say “things are going to get worse,” before contending that the country is “seeing an outbreak of the unvaccinated.”
“If you look at the acceleration of the number of cases, the seven-day average has gone up substantially. You know, what we really need to do, Jon, we say it over and over again, and it’s the truth, we have 100 million people in this country who are eligible to be vaccinated who are not getting vaccinated. We are seeing an outbreak of the unvaccinated,” he said.
Fauci added that there will likely be “some pain and suffering in the future.”
“We’re looking, not, I believe, to lockdown, but we’re looking to some pain and suffering in the future because we’re seeing the cases go up, which is the reason why we keep saying over and over again, the solution to this is get vaccinated and this would not be happening,” he said.
The number of COVID-19 infections in the U.S. has crept up in recent weeks largely because of the delta variant, which is now the dominant strain in the U.S. The cases, however, have mainly infiltrated individuals who are not yet inoculated.
Washington —Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Biden, said Sunday that Americans who remain unvaccinated against the coronavirus are “propagating” the latest outbreak of cases of the highly contagious Delta variant.
“We have 100 million people in this country … who are eligible to be vaccinated, who are not vaccinated,” Fauci said in an interview with “Face the Nation.” “We’ve really got to get those people to change their minds, make it easy for them, convince them, do something to get them to be vaccinated because they are the ones that are propagating this outbreak.”
Coronavirus infections, hospitalizations and deaths have risen across the country, with the Delta variant driving the surge in areas with low vaccination rates. Nearly all patients hospitalized with COVID-19 are unvaccinated…
China’s National Health Commission (NHC) announced Tuesday that a 41-year-old man had been confirmed as the first human case of infection with a rare avian flu called H10N3. The case was recorded in the Chinese province of Jiangsu in eastern China. Many different strains of bird flu exist in China, and some infect people sporadically, usually those who work with poultry. There is currently no evidence that H10N3 can be easily transmitted to humans.
The man, a resident of Zhenjiang City, was hospitalized on April 18 and diagnosed with H10N3 on May 28, the health commission said. He did not give any details about the man’s infection. It is now stable and ready to be released. Investigation of his close contacts revealed no other cases, the NHC said. No other cases of human infection with H10N3 have been reported worldwide, the commission said.
An emaciated Atlantic wolffish, shown in this handout image provided by Coastal Action via Dalhousie University, with chaffing injury was released from a retrieved lobster trap near Shelburne, Nova Scotia.Listen to article
Lost and discarded fishing gear dumped off the southwestern coast of Nova Scotia — site of Canada’s most lucrative lobster fishery — is trapping species at risk and hurting the lobster industry, a new scientific study says.
Researchers at Dalhousie University in Halifax determined the abandoned traps, ropes, hooks and other equipment are costing the lobster industry nearly $200,000 annually in lost catches.
“When it starts impacting the bottom line of one of the most important industries in Nova Scotia … it becomes apparent that we need to do something about it,” the study’s co-author, associate professor Tony Walker, said in an interview Friday.
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“We can actually make more money if we clean up our act.”
In 2019, the landed value of Nova Scotia lobsters was $880 million — more than half of the Canada’s overall total.
While the scourge of so-called ghost gear is a global problem, the study is described as the first of its kind to provide a preliminary assessment of its environmental and economic impacts.By Sandy Garossino | Analysis, Politics | July 30th 2021
The findings are based on what researchers found last summer and fall when five fishing boats were used to haul in more than seven tonnes of lost, discarded and abandoned gear. The vessels conducted 60 trips, covering 1,500 square kilometres.
Lobster traps made up the 66 per cent of the gear pulled to the surface. Other gear included cables, ropes, marker buoys and other marine debris.
The researchers calculated that the traps, often referred to as lobster pots, could be responsible for up to $176,000 in annual commercial losses because many of them continue to catch bottom-feeders long after they have been left behind.
“There’s probably way more gear out there than this study suggests,” said Walker, who is with Dalhousie’s School for Resource and Environmental Studies. “Those economic losses are only going to increase.”
As well, untended traps are continuing to indiscriminately capture other creatures, including groundfish considered species at risk.
An ocean menace: study finds ghost gear capturing species at risk and lobster. #GhostGear #FishingGear #lobster
“You get fish and crab in the lobster pots all the time,” Walker said, noting that the traps are supposed to be checked every 24 hours to allow for the release of so-called bycatch — the species other than market-sized lobster.
But if the traps are abandoned, an ugly cycle begins.
“If the (trapped creatures) die in place, then they themselves become fresh bait for other creatures to enter the trap. As long as the trap stays intact, that (cycle) can keep on going,” Walker said. “Those (traps) older than four years old and still intact, continued to catch bycatch.”
As a result, determining how many creatures have been captured by a derelict trap can be difficult.
“Our estimate of the diversity of species and the total number trapped is a massive underestimate,” the Walker said.”It’s important that policy changes should be made.”
Of the 15 different live species released from retrieved traps, five were species-at-risk: a wolffish, a cod, a cusk and two sculpins.
“It adds weight to the negative environmental impact,” the researcher said. “These are federally protected species, and they’re dying unnecessarily.”
Walker said said fishers are typically reluctant to bring any traps to shore other than their own because they could face allegations of poaching.
Last week, Ottawa announced that its Ghost Gear Fund has been used to remove 224 tonnes of old gear from Canadian and international waters over the past two years. In all, 159 tonnes of gear has been pulled from the Atlantic and 65 tonnes from the Pacific coast.
Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan also announced that a new online system will make it easier for commercial harvesters to report the loss of fishing gear and its exact location — as required by law.
“Not only will the … system make it easier for harvesters to be part of the solution, it will help them recover their valuable gear, ” Jordan said in a statement. “This is good for industry and good for our environment.” Recreational fishers and the general public will be able to use the system at a later date, the department said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2021.
WARNING: An image in this story may be too graphic for sensitive viewers.
A cat was found in a large, spring-loaded trap in Bismarck earlier this week. We spoke to some people who are working to address the issue of having the traps within city limits.
A large, spring-loaded trap was placed just off of South 12th Street by the Stardust Trailer Court.
A cat was trapped inside and was severely injured.
“It was atrocious. That poor cat. The fact that he was still moving, not wanting to rip somebody’s face off and in so much pain, floored me. You could see his bones sticking out of his legs. My thought was, my goodness, who does this?” said Kayla Gefroh, Animal Impound Liaison with Furry Fiends Rockin’ Rescue.
These types of traps are typically used to catch larger animals like coyotes, deer and even bears.
Lt. Jeff Solemsaas, who oversees Bismarck’s Animal Control Department, says this can easily become a bigger issue.
“The spring trap, there’s quite a bit of tension involved in those. So, a child could get hurt pretty severely by something like that. Kids obviously are curious. They might stick their foot in there or leg or their arm, something that their hand and they could be significantly injured by a trap in this manner,” said Solemsaas.
“The traps are allowed within the state under certain circumstances. Obviously, when you get into town, that presents a whole host of new issues. You’d think common sense would kind of dictate, ‘I’m not going to put these in an area where these are available to kids’ and stuff like that. And maybe that wasn’t there. I don’t know what their intent was,” said Solemsaas.
Gefroh says they all agree — there should be something in place to keep something like this, or worse, from happening.
“Bismarck does not have an ordinance on the books that indicates yay or nay with these traps due to the fact that we don’t have the kind of wildlife in the area that would necessarily warrant an ordinance on that. We don’t have bears,” she said.
Animal Control is currently looking to find the individual who laid the trap.
If found, the report could go up to the city attorney for possible charges.
Bismarck’s Animal Advisory Board proposed changes to the animal control section of the city code, making it unlawful for a person to use a spring steel trap in the city.
The proposed changes will next go to the City Commission for approval. A date has not yet been determined as to when it will be scheduled on the Commission’s agenda.
And, if you’re wondering, after a lot of medical attention, the cat has managed to survive.
Bill ConnersOutdoorsView CommentsAD0:07https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.473.0_en.html#goog_16279170
It really irked me to have to report that there were three hunting fatalities during the 2020 big game season. All three were self-inflicted, all by experienced hunters. One of the three involved a crossbow.
The crossbow incident involved a hunter in the Syracuse area – Onondaga County – and happened when, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation Police, he was hauling his loaded and cocked crossbow into his tree stand.
According to the incident report, the victim had 10 years’ hunting experience. No matter how many times you go afield, you only have to be careless once.
I raise the specter of the crossbow incident because early Monday morning I received a call from anupstate contact and in the course of our conversation regarding anticipated changes to deer hunting regulations, heasked if I had heard about an incident involving a crossbow…
Conservationists have a 5-amendment rights of nature ballot drive going on right now. This is the fifth in a series looking at each of the rights of nature amendments. Today’s story is about the proposed captive wildlife hunting ban
Captive wildlife hunting, also known as “canned” hunting, is legal in the state of Florida. These are facilities that are fenced in, where people pay to hunt native and exotic species. The proposed ban on captive wildlife hunting would make it illegal in the state
The proposed amendment says captive wildlife hunting disrupts the delicate balance of ecosystems and puts Florida’s biodiversity at risk.
Kate MacFall is the Florida State Director for the Humane Society of the United States. She says captive hunting can go by many names, but it all comes down to hunting animals that are not wild and are fenced in.
“Hunters pay big money to come and shoot an animal that’s behind the fence,” says MacFall.
Prices to kill at these facilities can range wildly, from a few thousand dollars up to the twenty thousand dollar range, depending on the species.
“We oppose trophy hunting, and this is a special kind of trophy hunting, that’s even worse than regular trophy hunting, if you will. The animals are bred. And some are used to people that are not wild… they’re put behind a fence for wealthy shooters who maybe don’t have the skill or want to put the effort into an actual fair chase hunt,” says MacFall.
A fair chase hunt is often considered the ethical and sportsmanlike way to hunt, permitting the taking of a free-range, wild game animal in a manner that does not give the hunter an unfair advantage.
“As a civilized society, we have got to say, no more,” says Chuck O’Neal, the Chairman of the Florida Rights of Nature Network, and he is chairman of the FL5 DOT Org Political Committee. O’Neal hopes the majority of Florida voters will agree.
Tish O’Dell, community organizer with the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund, or CELDF, worries the proposed ballot amendment is not really about the rights of nature.
“It doesn’t create a right of nature to exist… And also, people aren’t given the right by this new law to go to court and protect the animals,” says O’Dell.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission told us, via email, that Florida’s captive wildlife regulations are among the most stringent in the nation, and that FWC investigators conduct inspections of the state’s 443 game farms and 143 hunting preserves to ensure compliance.
Diana Dean, also known as Grandma Dean of Ron’s Guide Service, works with her family farm, near Lake Okeechobee. They offer alligator and hog hunting on their private property, which is fenced to keep the cattle in–but does little to keep hogs or alligators in, or out.
“So I think that what we offer is, you know, people to come out here have a hunting experience. They’re hunting hogs, which… are very destructive and invasive, and they’re also getting delicious meat from it. Most of our hunters are coming here to teach their kids about hunting and you know where meat comes from, the meat that they eat,” says Deane.
While she supports the proposed Florida Iconic Species ballot amendment, she worries the way the captive hunt ballot amendment is written doesn’t take into account businesses like hers.
“I feel like it should be if you’re gonna say captive, captive hunting is banned, you need to specify, Well, what are we talking about? What species are we talking about? Are we all of a sudden now going to protect alligators?” asks Deane. “I could understand maybe if we’re talking about, you know, bringing animals in all the way from Africa and like, putting them in a pen or something like that, you know, sure. But as far as like, actual hunting hogs, hunting alligators, it’s a little different because they’re, they’re, again, they’re nuisance, they’re destructive, like you call up animal control, if there’s a hog or an alligator.”
Dean also says that hunting is a part of human history and tradition. Some hunters we spoke with for this story are concerned about the unintended consequences of the ballot amendment, including the livelihoods of family hunting preserves and the risk of selling large land areas formerly used for captive hunts to developers.
Nearly 900,000 signatures are needed by November 30th in order to qualify the Captive Wildlife Hunting Ban Amendment for the ballot. To read the full text of the amendment, visit FL5.org.
The Michigan Court of Appeals has returned a case to a lower court for a closer look at the level of risk during an organized hunting event.
The case from Alpena County pits a father against a son, who lost two fingers as the result of an accident during what’s called a “European-style” pheasant hunt.
According to the appeals court opinion, this type of hunt involves several two-person blinds arranged in a circle around a tower. Pheasants are released into the air from the tower and the hunters try to shoot as many as they can until they’re called off.
Jeff Payne suffered the injury after his father’s gun went off inside their hunting blind. So Jeff, the son, sued the David, the father. The father said the accident was an inherent and…
An Ogema man has been sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison for fatally shooting a retired Lake Park police chief in Becker County.By Associated Press|July 30, 2021, at 11:48 a.m.More
DETROIT LAKES, Minn. (AP) — An Ogema man has been sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison for fatally shooting a retired Lake Park police chief in Becker County.
Fifty-six-year-old Morris Dodd Jr. was earlier found guilty of second-degree manslaughter in the 2018 shooting death of Jay Nelson, who was killed in his pickup truck on a trail near his family’s hunting cabin on the White Earth Reservation.Recommended VideosPowered by AnyClipNicola Sturgeon visits new Police Scotland training academy726Play Videohttps://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.473.0_en.html#goog_1239769572
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Dodd said he had fired a shot to spook a fawn and was scared to turn himself in after seeing news reports about Nelson’s death because he, as a sex offender, was not allowed to possess a gun, KVRR-TV reported.
A jury convicted Dodd of manslaughter. Prosecutors on Wednesday asked the judge to sentence Dodd to nearly eight years in prison.
Dodd’s lawyer asked for a sentence between five and six years, arguing it was a hunting accident.
