NEWSROOM
Alligator
Snapping Turtles and Map Turtles Included on CITES Appendix III
February 3, 2006
Map and alligator snapping
turtle vendors will be subject to new export regulations beginning
June 14. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is including these
species in Appendix III of the Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species of Wildlife and Flora (CITES). This will
be the first Appendix III listing for the United States.
CITES is an international
agreement between governments that ensures the survival of a species
is not threatened by trade. Species included in CITES are listed
in three appendices by the protection level needed. Appendix III
species being shipped are required to have an export permit from
their native country. Additionally, the certificate requires that
every specimen be listed at the species level, halting the practice
of combining different map turtle species into one category.
For further
information on the CITES listing refer to
http://www.fws.gov/policy/library/05-24099.html.
The alligator snapping
turtle is the largest freshwater turtle in North America. They
are protected by all states, but levels of protection vary. Louisiana
law bans commercial trade of alligator snapping turtles. Louisiana
law also places a one-a-day per boat limit on alligator snapping
turtles taken by recreational fishermen. Alligator snapping turtles
are declining substantially throughout their range. A major threat
is over-collection of turtles from the wild for human consumption
or the pet trade.
There are 12 species
of map turtles in North America. Several occur in Louisiana such
as the Alabama map turtle, the Pascagoula map turtle and the false
map turtle. Trade in map turtles has increased rapidly since the
1990s. The demand for the turtles comes from the international
pet industry. Typically, map turtles are raised on farms in the
United States, but map turtles collected from the wild also find
their way into commercial trade.
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