Commercial harvest and export of snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) in the United States: trends and the efficacy of size limits at reducing harvest |
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| Institution: | 1. Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK;2. San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy, PO Box 120551, San Diego, CA 92112-0551, United States;3. University of Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon;4. Ebo Forest Research Project, BP 3055, Messa, Yaoundé, Cameroon;5. Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States;6. Wageningen University and Research Centre, 6708 BP Wageningen, Netherlands;7. The Peregrine Fund, 5668 W Flying Hawk Lane, Boise ID 83709, United States;8. Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Centre for Conservation Science, RSPB, The Lodge, Sandy, Beds SG19 2DL, UK;9. Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK;1. Panthera, 8 West 40th Street, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10018, USA;2. Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa;3. Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Zoology Department, Oxford University, Tubney House, Abingdon OX135QL, UK;4. Zambian Carnivore Programme, Box 80, Mfuwe, Eastern Province, Zambia;5. Conservation Biology and Ecology Program, Department of Ecology, Montana State University, 310 Lewis Hall, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA;6. Niassa Carnivore Project, The Ratel Trust, Cape Town, South Africa;7. Selous Lion Project, PO Box 34514, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania;8. Department of Biological Sciences, Conservation Conflict Research Institute, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa;9. Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE- 901 83 Umeå, Sweden;10. Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, PO Box CY140, Causeway, Harare, Zimbabwe;11. Ewaso Lions, PO Box 14996, Nairobi 00800, Kenya;12. Department of Ecology, Evolution & Behavior, University of Minnesota, 100 Ecology Building, 1987 Upper Buford Circle, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA;13. Frankfurt Zoological Society, Bernhard-Grzimek-Allee 1, 60316 Frankfurt am Main, Germany;14. Ongava Research Centre, Ongava Game Reserve, PO Box 58, Okaukeujo, Namibia;15. School of Biological and Conservation Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Private Bag 54001, Durban 4000, South Africa;p. Center for Tropical Research, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California Los Angeles, 619 Charles E. Young Drive East, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA;q. Centre for Wildlife Management, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa |
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| Abstract: | As Asian turtle populations have crashed, China has increasingly turned to international import to meet domestic demand, which has increased pressure on global turtle populations. Snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) are being harvested in unprecedented numbers in the United States (US) to meet the needs of this international market. Here we report US snapping turtle live export from 1999 to 2013, and for the first time test the effectiveness of size limits in reducing commercial harvest numbers. Over three million live snapping turtles from farm and wild caught stock were exported from the US to Asia in 2012–14 alone. Increases in the export of wild caught snapping turtles to over 200,000 individuals in 2012 and 2014, compared to under 50,000 in other years, may indicate that farms are becoming unable to keep up with increasing demand. Annual harvest pressure at the state level increased linearly from 1998 to 2013, mirroring trends in federal export over the same time period. Our model estimates that size-limits were effective at reducing harvest by 30–87% in years with high harvest pressure. However, the majority of size limit regulations result in the removal of larger breeding adults, which has been shown to be detrimental to long term population viability. Regulatory approaches dedicated to the long term management of this iconic species will need to balance the short term gains, in the form of reduced harvest rates, with long term population viability. |
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| Keywords: | Best management practices Commercial harvest Size-limit regulation Snapping turtle Turtle export |
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