While environmental and conservation issues haven't popped up much in discussions of what a Minnesota legislature united under DFL majorities in the House and Senate, I'm hoping an effort to end commercial turtle can reach Governor Walz's desk.
For many years, Bluestem's been posting about efforts to end commercial turtle harvests. What's the problem? As Greg Seitz reported in 2021 at St. Croix 360, in Legislators seek to stop commercial turtle harvesting in Minnesota:
. . . Ten months out of the year, permitted trappers harvest several species of turtle, for meat and the pet trade.
Wildlife advocates say the practice is outdated, and harmful to turtle populations. H.F. 387, introduced by Rep. Samantha Vang, would put a halt to it. The second-term lawmaker previously got the legislation through the House in 2019, but not the Senate. [emphasis added]
The life cycles and reproduction strategies of turtles makes them uniquely affected by trapping. . . .
When trappers take a mature turtle from its home waters, they remove one of the few and the strong that have survived while their brothers and sisters probably did not.
“Commercial harvest is unsustainable for turtle populations and regulations need to be updated to reflect our understanding of turtle population management,” the Minnesota Herpetological Society said.
A 2010 study from the University of Minnesota found fewer turtles in lakes where commercial turtle harvest occurred than in lakes without trapping. Minnesota is one of fewer than 25 states that still allow commercial harvest, with Iowa the only neighboring state that permits it.
Yep, no commercial turtle trapping even in the South Dakota Freedomland.
While not mentioned in legislative agendas in Minnesota's media, a recent article for the Associated Press by Michael Casey, Turtles in demand as pets, leading to a spike in poaching, has be wisely published and circulated. Casey reports:
. . .Wildlife trade experts believe that poaching — driven by growing demand for pets in the U.S., Asia and Europe — is contributing to the global decline of rare freshwater turtle and tortoise species. One study found over half of the 360 living turtle and tortoise species are at risk of extinction.
Such concerns have prompted a dozen proposals to increase protection for freshwater turtles at the 184-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) meeting in Panama Nov. 14 through Nov. 25.
Precise figures on the turtle trade, especially illegal trade, can be hard to find. Based on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service data, Tara Easter, a University of Michigan doctoral candidate who studies the trade, estimated the commercial export trade for mud turtles in the United States increased from 1,844 in 1999 to nearly 40,000 in 2017 and musk turtles from 8,254 in 1999 to more than 281,000 in 2016.
In their CITES proposal to ban or limit the commercial trade in more than 20 mud turtles species, the United States and several Latin American countries cited data from Mexico that found nearly 20,000 were confiscated, mostly at the Mexico City airport, from 2010 to 2022.
Among the world’s most trafficked animals, freshwater turtles are targeted by criminal networks that connect with buyers on the internet then transport the reptiles to black markets in Hong Kong and other Asian cities. From there, they are sold as pets, to collectors and for commercial breeding, food and traditional medicine. In many countries, trade is poorly regulated or not regulated at all.
The lucrative business — some turtle species coveted for their colorful shells or strange appearance can fetch thousand of dollars in Asia — adds to threats turtles already face. Those include climate change, habitat destruction, road mortality and predators eating their eggs.
Poachers are particularly problematic, experts say, because they target rare species and adult breeding females. Many turtle species, which can live for several decades, don’t reach reproductive maturity for a decade or more.
“The loss of large numbers of adults, especially females, can send turtles into a spiraling decline from which they cannot recover,” said Dave Collins, director of North American turtle conservation for the Turtle Survival Alliance. “Turtles have extremely low reproduction levels, producing a few eggs every year.” . . .
According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Rare Species Guide, is home to Blanding's turtle, which the agency lists as "threatened," as is the Wood Turtle, which is listed as a "Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) in the State Wildlife Action Plans of all 17 states in which they occur, and is considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature," according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Smooth Softshell is a species of special concern; the snapping turtle has been removed from special concern status in Minnesota.
While Casey's reporting focuses on rare species, commercial turtle trapping is bad news for all breeds of turtles, which in their slow-moving way, take a long time to reach maturity and reproduce. Bluestem believes the state should end commercial trapping.
Here's a primer on the topic by herpetologist Christopher E. Smith:
Protect Our Turtles uploaded by Sally Jo Sorensen
The Casey article has drawn a response on Twitter from Minnesota House Environmental and Natural Resources chair, Representative Rick Hansen, DFL-S. St Paul:
Time for updating 🐢turtle laws in MN✅
— Rep. Rick Hansen (@reprickhansen) November 13, 2022
Whether it's a revival of the Vang bill or new language, here's hoping that turtle laws are updated in Minnesota.
Related posts
- Bill to ban commercial turtle harvest to be heard in MN House Environment committee on Feb. 9
- Updated commercial turtle harvest numbers from DNR underscore need for HF387
- Rep. Vang renews effort to ban Minnesota's unsustainable commercial turtle harvest
- Months after hearings, Star Tribune reports on commercial turtle harvesting concerns
Photo: In written testimony submitted to the Minnesota House Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy Committee in 2021, a family living on Stingy Lake Stingy Lake north of Nashwauk told the tale of the turtle Baby T that they caught and returned to the lake.
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