State imposes strict freshwater turtle harvest ban
WEST PALM BEACH (AP) – State wildlife officials on Wednesday imposed one of the nation’s strongest measures to protect freshwater turtles in Florida.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted at a meeting in Crystal River to officially adopt the new rule to protect the populations of more than two dozen species. They are considered a delicacy in Asia, where thousands are shipped every year.
“This decision may be one of Florida’s greatest conservation stories,” said Commissioner Brian Yablonski.
The new rule will allow a person to take one turtle a day from the wild for most species. Four species that are not of concern to state scientists received a little less protection. Individuals can take two of those turtles a day.
The state’s roughly 28 licensed turtle farms will be allowed to continue collecting some wild species to keep their farms going under a “tightly controlled” permitting process.
Scientists say removing large numbers of turtles from the wild, especially adult, egg-laying females, can damage the species’ ability to reproduce enough to stay viable.
Many of the state’s exported turtles come from farms, but it’s unclear exactly how many are being plucked from the wild and shipped overseas.
The proposal was supported by Gov. Charlie Crist, but not everyone is pleased.
Commercial fisherman Robert Whitting, 45, of Lake Placid, said he could lose up to $10,000 a year in extra income from catching and selling the turtles.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do now,” Whitting said Wednesday. “I’ll probably have to move to one of the coasts now and strictly do saltwater commercial fishing.”
Supporters, however, say the ban was needed to keep the state’s turtle populations from collapsing.
The Tucson, Ariz.-based Center for Biological Diversity, along with other conservation groups, had petitioned 12 states to prohibit commercial turtle harvests.
“You’ve got a global market with a seemingly endless demand for turtles, and states that don’t strictly regulate or ban harvests are going to quickly be mined out of turtles,” said the center’s Jeff Miller.
Several other states also have limitations on freshwater turtle harvests, but Florida’s new rule is among the nation’s most protective.