Conservation and Health Groups Petition Eight Southern and Midwestern States
to End Unsustainable Commercial Harvest of Wild Turtles

Turtles Contaminated With Mercury and Other Toxins Sold as Food

The Center for Biological Diversity and two dozen other conservation and
health groups recently filed emergency petitions with eight Midwestern and
southern states, seeking to end unsustainable commercial harvest of
freshwater turtles. The coalition submitted administrative petitions to
state wildlife and health agencies in Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Missouri, Ohio, South Carolina, and Tennessee, asking for a ban on
commercial harvest of freshwater turtles in all public and private waters.
The commercial-harvest regulations are needed to prevent further depletions
of native turtle populations and to protect public health. Freshwater
turtles collected in these states and sold domestically as food or exported
to international food markets are often contaminated with mercury, PCBs, and
pesticides.

Wildlife exporters and dealers are commercially harvesting massive and
unsustainable numbers of wild freshwater turtles from southern and
midwestern states that continue to allow unlimited and unregulated take of
turtles. The few turtle surveys that have been conducted in southern and
midwestern states show depletions and extinction of freshwater turtles in
many streams. Herpetologists have reported drastic reductions in numbers and
even the disappearance of many southern map turtle species.  Harvests and
exports of wild turtles caught in the United States have skyrocketed--most
wild turtles harvested in the United States are exported to supply food
markets in Asia, primarily China, where turtle consumption rates have
soared.

The coalition has now submitted regulatory petitions to every remaining
state in the United States that has unrestricted commercial harvest or
inadequate harvest regulations for freshwater turtles.

The petitioning groups are the Center for Biological Diversity, Center for
North American Herpetology, Center for Reptile and Amphibian Conservation
and Management, Center for Food Safety, Audubon Society of Central Arkansas
(AR), St. John's Riverkeeper (FL), Satilla Riverkeeper (GA), Altamaha
Riverkeeper (GA), Tallgrass Prairie Audubon Society (IA), Sierra Club, Iowa
Chapter (IA), Arkansas River Coalition (KS), Kentucky Heartwood (KY), Gulf
Restoration Network (LA), Ozark Rivers Chapter of the National Audubon
Society (MO), Miami Valley Audubon Society (OH), Western Cuyahoga Audubon
Society (OH), Oklahoma Chapter Sierra Club (OK), Charleston Chapter Audubon
Society (SC), Congaree Riverkeeper (SC), Tennessee Chapter Sierra Club (TN),
Tennessee Herpetological Society (TN), Tennessee Scenic Rivers Association
(TN), Save The Cumberland (TN), Lone Star Chapter Sierra Club (TX), and
Pineywoods Group Sierra Club (TX).

Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Ohio, South Carolina, and
Tennessee continue to allow unlimited commercial take of all sizes and ages
of most species of native turtles, using unlimited quantities of lethal
hoopnets and box traps in public and private waters. Although some of these
states protect rarer turtle species, many state and federally protected
freshwater turtles are incidentally harvested and sold since turtle traps do
not distinguish the species captured, and collectors often misidentify
protected species captured in traps that appear similar to non-protected
turtles. Hoopnets and box traps are lethal devices that also capture, maim,
kill, and drown protected turtle species, non-target fish, mammals, and
migratory birds, and in some areas, endangered species such as the federally
threatened American alligator.


State Turtle Harvest Information
Iowa
Iowa allows commercial turtle collectors to legally take an unlimited number
of common snapping turtles, softshell turtles and painted turtles with a
commercial turtle license using an unlimited number of hoopnets and
boxtraps.  Nonresident dealers can only take these three species from the
Missouri, Mississippi and Bog Sioux Rivers. Iowa law prohibits the harvest
of rare turtle species including alligator snapping turtles (Macrochelys
temmickii), chicken turtles (Deirochelys reticularia) and Blanding's turtles
(Emydoidea blandingii). However, these species overlap in range with
non-protected turtles in Iowa and are caught in baited traps set by
commercial collectors. Trappers often can not distinguish alligator snappers
from common snappers and coin both species simply as "snappers" or
"loggerheads." To the untrained eye chicken turtles are strikingly similar
in appearance to red eared sliders and river cooters. Collectors who can
distinguish these species and who realize their high value for the
international pet trade may purposely harvest and portray them as common
snappers and red eared sliders and sell these to dealers in states where
their commerce is legal. The largest known Midwest state dealer of common
snapping turtles has operated in Iowa for more than thirty years. Iowa does
not track the amount of turtles harvested from Iowa waters and the Iowa
Department of Natural Resources does not monitor health or population trends
of wild turtle populations. A bill that would prohibit the sale, barter, or
trade of turtles is currently being considered by a subcommittee in the Iowa
legislature.