02-21-2008, 08:10 PM
February 20, 2008
Contact: Patricia Behnke, 850-410-5291
The harvest of freshwater turtles in Florida is sparking a concern about the future populations of these reptiles. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is reviewing the situation to ensure conservation of the turtle population.
The FWC is aware of an increased demand in the Asian market for turtles, but it is unclear how that relates to harvesting turtles in Florida. There are restrictions for harvesting certain rare species of freshwater turtles in the state, but there are no limits in place for harvesting other freshwater turtles. In addition, there is a seasonal closure from May 1 to July 31 for softshell turtles during their breeding and nesting season.
The FWC's Division of Law Enforcement has found no violations for the harvesting of the turtles at this time. Biologists with the FWC are researching and studying the issue internally. During this process, they are reaching out to constituents and experts, both regionally and nationally.
Since there are limited baseline inventories of turtle populations in Florida, the impacts of the harvest on turtle populations has yet to be determined.
Contact: Patricia Behnke, 850-410-5291
The harvest of freshwater turtles in Florida is sparking a concern about the future populations of these reptiles. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is reviewing the situation to ensure conservation of the turtle population.
The FWC is aware of an increased demand in the Asian market for turtles, but it is unclear how that relates to harvesting turtles in Florida. There are restrictions for harvesting certain rare species of freshwater turtles in the state, but there are no limits in place for harvesting other freshwater turtles. In addition, there is a seasonal closure from May 1 to July 31 for softshell turtles during their breeding and nesting season.
The FWC's Division of Law Enforcement has found no violations for the harvesting of the turtles at this time. Biologists with the FWC are researching and studying the issue internally. During this process, they are reaching out to constituents and experts, both regionally and nationally.
Since there are limited baseline inventories of turtle populations in Florida, the impacts of the harvest on turtle populations has yet to be determined.