TALLAHASSEE — The Humane Society of the United States applauds Florida Gov. Charlie Crist for urging the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to move toward a complete ban on the harvesting of Florida's wild freshwater turtles.
In a Nov. 20 letter, the governor told FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto that if the agency "is not vigilant and does not act swiftly we could be in grave danger of irreparable damage to our turtle population."
"Governor Crist's responsible stewardship may save the day for Florida's turtles," said Jennifer Hobgood, Florida state director for The HSUS. "On behalf of The HSUS' more than 700,000 supporters in Florida, we urge the Commission to act quickly to halt this harvest of vulnerable turtle species."
Since turtles are extremely slow to reproduce, removing adults from the population can pose a serious threat to the survival of freshwater turtle species. In addition, methods used to capture, handle and transport turtles are often cruel. Fishing lines with hundreds of baited hooks snag turtles and other creatures.
States including Texas and Oklahoma recently took action to protect turtles in their waters, which inadvertently put even more pressure on Florida's turtle populations.
-30-
The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization — backed by 10.5 million Americans, or one of every 30. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty — On the web at humanesociety.org.
