George L. Heinrich1, Timothy J. Walsh2, Peter C.H. Pritchard3, and Joseph A. Butler4

The Suwannee cooter, Pseudemys concinna suwanniensis, occurs in river systems draining into the Gulf of Mexico (USA), from the Ochlockonee River in the Florida panhandle, southward in the peninsula to the Alafia River. A May 2004 discovery of Suwannee cooter carcasses at a rural dumpsite near Cedar Key, Florida, confirmed continued exploitation. A minimum number of 170 turtles was determined; these represented 164 Suwannee cooters; one peninsula cooter, P. floridana peninsularis; and five Florida red-bellied turtles, P. nelsoni. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC) currently lists the subspecies P. c. suwanniensis as a Species of Special Concern, but the take of P. concinna statewide is allowable with a possession limit of two per individual and a closed season from 15 April to 31 July. Considering the broad range of conservation challenges facing this species, the FFWCC should immediately address those threats that can be controlled. A regulatory change eliminating the legal take, and development of adequate education and enforcement programs, would be effective actions toward conserving North America’s largest emydid turtle.
Poster Session

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