Action Timeline

2004 – The Center petitioned to list the Cagle’s map turtle, a rare riverine turtle that survives only in the Guadalupe River system in Texas and is threatened by collectors for the pet trade, under the Endangered Species Act. This species had been placed on the federal candidate list in 1977 but was removed in 2006.

2007 – After Center allies petitioned Texas to ban all commercial harvest of freshwater turtles, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department voted to end commercial harvest in public waters — but continued to allow unlimited commercial harvest of seven turtle species from private waters.

March 27, 2008 – The Center filed emergency petitions with Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Texas requesting a complete ban on commercial harvest of freshwater turtles, in an effort to end unsustainable harvest and stop the export of contaminated turtles to international food markets.
   
May 5, 2008 – In response to the Center’s March 2008 petition, the state of Oklahoma enacted a three-year moratorium on the commercial harvest of turtles from public waters to allow time for studying the status of its wild turtle populations, the effects of commercial harvest, and the potential contamination of turtles sold as food.
   
March 11, 2009 – The Center organized a coalition of two dozen conservation and health groups and filed emergency petitions with eight midwestern and southern states (Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Ohio, South Carolina and Tennessee) to end the unsustainable and unhealthy commercial harvest of freshwater turtles.

April 2009 – In response to the Center’s March 2008 emergency petition, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission banned most commercial harvest of wild freshwater turtles from both public and private waters. South Carolina passed a turtle harvest bill somewhat restricting harvest and export of wild turtles.

August 2011 – The Center filed a petition and activated our membership to request protections under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Flora and Fauna for 20 species of native freshwater turtles — the alligator snapping turtle, spotted turtle, Blanding’s turtle, diamondback terrapin, three species of soft-shell turtles and 13 species of map turtles.

January 25, 2012 – The Georgia Department of Natural Resources Board of Directors unanimously approved its first-ever state rules regulating the commercial collection of wild freshwater turtles.