All commercial turtle harvesting may be banned in Florida

[The Straight Story]

All commercial turtle harvesting may be banned in Florida
By Rachael Anne Ryals
Herald Staff Writer

Under a newly proposed law, all commercial harvesting of freshwater turtles will be completely banned in Florida, but children who want a pet turtle will still be allowed to wade in rivers and lakes and catch a slippery, flipper-footed friend.

The draft rule that bans commercial harvesting of Florida's diverse freshwater turtle population was passed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on April 15, with a final vote to be held at a June meeting in Crystal River. The public can send comments on the new rule prior to that meeting.

If the new law passes, Florida's ban on freshwater turtle harvesting will be the most protective in the country.

The ban on commercial harvesting of turtles is a complete turnaround from where the state was just over a year ago. At that time, outraged residents in Gainesville, concerned with truckloads of turtles being taken from Newnan's Lake, learned that there was no limit to the number of turtles that could be taken during open season.

That meant it was perfectly legal for the hundreds of turtles to be taken from the area lake and sold to foreign markets for food and medicine. The turtles were taken alive and were still wriggling in their sacks as they were hoisted into trucks.

http://www.highspringsherald.com/articles/2009/05/01/news/news02.txt

[luvspeas]

1. a slightly xenophobic rant follows...

In THIS country, there is absolutely NO reason for commercial harvesting of ANY turtles. If other countries want turtles, let them destroy their own ecosystem.

Not sarcasm, I'm just being honest. Shake it like a polaroid pitcher.

[KamaAina]

5. As far as I know, New Orleans is still part of THIS country

There, turtle soup is considered a great delicacy indeed, finished with a dash of sherry at such old-line establishments as Commander's Palace and Mandina's.

Indeed, one Katrina evacuee's chief complaint about her new surroundings was that they had no idea what turtle soup was -- and this was elsewhere in La.!

[joeybee12]

2. This is good news...no need for needless suffering and waste...n/t

[DireStrike]

3. "Harvesting"? I didn't think they were that slow.

Eat something else... ugh. Medicine? Come up with some other quack cure. It'll work just as well.

[and-justice-for-all]

4. good..nt