Two turtles bask in shallow water in a creek at the University of Texas at Arlington. Tens of thousands of turtles are harvested every year.

Following the lead of several states in the South, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission agreed Wednesday to move forward with proposed regulations that would ban the commercial collection of turtles in the state.

The about-face — from no limits to the possibility of a prohibition — is due to the growing concern among biologists and state wildlife officials that Texas’ population of turtles is threatened by business.
“We’ve learned through history that market hunting is not a sustainable practice,” said Chairman Joseph Fitzsimons, a San Antonio attorney and Texas rancher.

The proposed restrictions will not be voted on until the commissioners’ meeting May 24 in Austin and would not take effect until the summer. Until the next meeting, the public is invited to comment on the proposal.
Tens of thousands of wild turtles are collected from lakes, ponds and streams every year, and the number is growing annually because Texas is one of the few states characterized as “wide open” for turtle shippers.
Only nine species, five of them sea turtles, are protected from collection.
The vast majority of collected freshwater turtles are shipped out of Dallas/Fort Worth Airport for China, where the market for turtle meat exploded in the early 1990s at the same time as the number of wealthy Chinese.

Biologists, conservationists and officials with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department are concerned that the harvest of wild turtles cannot continue on such a scale. Already, many species in Southeast Asia are on the verge of extinction.

Matt Wagner, wildlife diversity program director for Parks and Wildlife, proposed a ban on the commercial collection of all turtles except the red-eared slider, the most abundant species in the state and one that Wagner said can “become a nuisance.”

The collection of up to six turtles as pets would be allowed.
But the commissioners recommended a complete commercial ban with the understanding that they could loosen the regulations at next month’s meeting.

The decision thrilled many in the scientific and conservation fields.
“These are sweeping changes you’re making today,” said Lee Fitzgerald, a professor of wildlife and fisheries sciences at Texas A&M University. “The scientific community is heartened by your attitude toward this issue. The unregulated commercialization of wildlife benefits very few people, but it can cause great damage to our natural heritage.”
But several commissioners expressed reservations about a ban, suggesting that it might create a “black market” and an enforcement problem for already burdened game wardens.

“You want to make sure you look at unintended consequences,” Fitzsimons said.

The largest turtle buyer in the state, Bob Popplewell, a businessman in Palo Pinto County, said in an interview last week that the 400 people in his turtle cooperative are helping landowners and ranchers rid their ponds of a huge problem.

He said that turtles eat fish and ducks, and that they are a “vast renewable resource” in no danger of over-collection. He suggested that the state would be better off banning harvesting from public waters but allowing it on private land.

Texas Parks & Wildlife officials also informed the commissioners that the Texas Department of State Health Services is willing to study whether turtle meat sold in Asian food markets in Texas is contaminated with pesticides and PCBs, as some environmental groups have speculated.

WANT TO COMMENT?

Beginning the week of April 9, comments will be taken on the proposed rules:

On the Web, at www.tpwd.state.tx.us/business/feedback/public_comment

By e-mail, to Robert MacDonald, at robert.macdonald@tpwd.state.tx.us

By mail, to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, TX 78744.

Chris Vaughn, 817-390-7547 cvaughn@star-telegram.com