Hunting Wild Freshwater Turtles Now Illegal in Ala.
Author: Lauren Vargas
As of
last Sunday, hunting for freshwater turtles in Alabama is now illegal. This new
legislation comes with the increase in removal of freshwater turtles and
shipping them to Asia. There is currently a very high demand for turtle meat in
many parts of Asia. In recent years the turtle population in Asia is becoming depleted
and now local turtles are being sent to parts of Asia for profit.
“It turns out Asia has a big appetite
for turtle meat, for food and medicinal purposes. According to experts, Asia
depleted their own supply, and turned to the U.S to feed their hunger.”
Before
the newly implemented law, Alabama was a prime target for turtle poaching due
to the fact that there was not any legislation protecting freshwater turtles.
Additionally it was a problem for the state because many surrounding states are
passing similar laws which drove the demand of turtle meat to Alabama. The new
laws in Alabama are considered to be some of the strictest in the country. It
appears that many locals from Alabama are upset because they are no longer
allowed to catch turtles despite the fact that they were not harming the
natural population.
Although this policy does apply to public and private land,
it does not apply to turtle farms because they are not removing freshwater
turtles from the environment. According
to the article, the author feels that even though there is a $500 fine (and
possible jail time), people will still take the risk to hunt wild freshwater turtles.
1 comment:
Very timely and relevant. Although Alabama is behind some other southeastern states in adopting such a ban, I hope that the strictness of their law will serve as a model other states in the region.
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