More than 30 scientists are calling on the governor to ban the
harvesting of fresh water turtles in Florida. Evidence is sketchy, but
the scientists fear over harvesting to feed a growing demand in Asia will strip the state of one of its natural resources.

They are on logs and rocks along every river and lake in Florida. They
come in dozens of varieties. What they have in common is that the
Chinese and others want them for soup and as an aphrodisiac.

In a strongly worded letter to Governor Charlie Crist, 32 scientists, including Dr. Matthew Aresco, are asking the governor to ban commercial harvesting of fresh water turtles.

“People from the public don’t want to see our turtles being hunted in
the wild and shipped to Asian markets. It’s just not something that the
public is going to stand for.”

Last month, Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Commission imposed a limit of 5
turtles per person per day and a maximum 20 turtles for commercial
fishermen. The scientists want a one turtle per person per day limit.

The problem is a lack of information. No one really knows how many turtles there are, how many people are harvesting them, or how many turtles are being taken.

The Fish and Wildlife Commission is in the process of gathering more
information. Spokesperson Pat Behnke says the commission is must be
cautious.

“There’s no threat that we can see at this point. We’ve slowed it down,
restricted it while we take this opportunity to look at it. We’re moving
as fast as we can.”

While the Commission studies, the scientists say the turtle population
is being depleted. They say at the current rate, they say Florida’s
stock could be decimated in ten to 20 years.

The Fish and Wildlife Commission will hold a public hearing on turtle harvesting at the Tampa Port Authority Board Room on Thursday.