Turtle harvest ban takes effect July 20

Jul 14, 2009 1 min read

TALLAHASSEE (AP) – A ban on commercial harvesting of Florida’s freshwater turtles takes effect July 20.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted last month to approve one of the nation’s strongest measures to protect more than two dozen species.

The new rule allows a person to take one turtle a day from the wild for most species. Officials say the state’s licensed turtle farms will continue collecting some wild species to keep their farms going under a permitting process.

The turtles are considered a delicacy in Asia, where thousands are shipped every year. Scientists feared that continued harvesting could destroy their populations.