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FAQs: Freshwater Turtle Rule Changes |
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Updated Nov. 19, 2008
What is the new rule on freshwater turtle harvests?The new rule restricts the harvest of freshwater turtles to five per day. Licensed commercial fishermen may take an additional 15 Florida softshell turtles, for a total of 20 turtles, per day during the nine-month open season. This is a temporary measure while the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) develops a management strategy for freshwater turtle harvest. When did the new rule go into effect?Oct. 23, 2008 Were there any restrictions on the harvest of freshwater turtles prior to the passage of these new rules?Yes. The new rule is in addition to existing rules. Laws already prohibit the commercialization of alligator snapping turtles, box turtles, Barbour’s map turtles, river cooters, loggerhead musk turtles, Escambia River map turtles and diamondback terrapins. All of these turtles have possession limits of two, except alligator snapping turtles, which have a possession limit of one. There are also existing seasonal closures on the harvest of river cooters and softshell turtles, the most frequently harvested turtles. Softshell turtles cannot be taken from May 1 through July 31, and river cooters cannot be taken from April 15 through July 31. Why was the additional restriction added?The FWC received reports of unusually large turtle harvests during the past year. The demand for freshwater turtles as food and pets recently has increased. The temporary restriction gives the FWC time to understand the issue and verify the information. Why didn’t the FWC ban the harvest of freshwater turtles?No data exists that suggests freshwater turtles are undergoing overharvest. Although at least one unverified mathematical model has predicted that Florida turtle populations cannot sustain harvest, information currently available to the FWC does not support these findings. Under the new restriction, the absolute maximum harvest expected would be only about 3 percent of the total population. Had the FWC immediately banned commercial harvest outright, it would have impacted the livelihoods of existing turtle fishermen resulting in an immediate end to their income without due diligence from the Commission. Turtle populations are not in an emergency situation or threatened with imminent extinction that would require an immediate halt to harvest and other extreme conservation measures. Complex issues that have to be considered are not only the biological data about turtle conservation but also other factors such as whether there should be any commercial harvest in fresh water in Florida. What are the next steps in developing the management strategy?The FWC is working with federal and state partners monitoring the import and export of turtles from Florida, gathering data and statistics on turtle harvest and exportation for use by FWC scientists. The FWC will hold a public workshop on Nov. 20 in Tampa to gain a better understanding of the concerns and issues surrounding Florida’s freshwater turtles. Some of Florida’s top turtle scientists will attend, as well as commercial fishermen. FWC staff will continue seeking input and present the proposed management strategy at the Commission’s April 2009 meeting in Tallahassee. Commissioners will vote on the final plan and regulations at June’s meeting in Crystal River. How much of the export market for freshwater turtles includes turtles taken from the wild?Less than 10 percent of the freshwater turtles exported from Florida come from the wild; the rest come from farms. Can Florida softshell turtles tolerate harvest?Freshwater turtles are slow to reproduce and take a long time to reach maturity, but Florida softshell turtles lay more eggs than any other freshwater turtle in North America. Florida softshell turtles have sustained much higher harvest limits for many years than are allowed by this new rule. Are there any other restrictions on the harvest of turtles?Commercial fishermen have access to only a few lakes. This species is widespread, and the inaccessible lakes may serve as refuges for the species. Turtles aren’t limited to water and often travel over land to lay their eggs and colonize new areas. Turtles in lakes that fishermen can’t access may replenish lakes where turtles have been harvested. Commercial turtle harvesting tends to be a seasonal operation because during cooler temperatures in the fall and winter, turtles become inactive, do not feed and are very difficult to catch. During the spring and summer, while laying eggs, they are in shallow water or in near-shore areas and are less accessible to harvesters, and the turtle harvest is closed from May through July. Therefore, most of the commercial turtle harvests occur during a three-month period (August through October) so projecting harvest rates at the full daily limit all year and for all fishermen is not logical or reasonable. |
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