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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009
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Asian Appetites Threaten Florida Turtles

Conservations warn that state's turtles are being eaten out of existence

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(Newser) – Asia's insatiable appetite for turtles could be driving some US species to the brink of extinction, the Los Angeles Times reports. The region's newly affluent consumers are happy to shell out top dollar for the delicacy and with most native species already eaten, Florida's turtle exports are booming. Conservationists warn that the creatures are being taken at an unsustainable rate.

Florida dealers export thousands of soft-shell turtles a week in peak season, mostly to China. In September the state instituted a catch limit of 20 turtles a day per person, which was criticized as too low by fishermen and too high by conservationists. "Every boatload of turtles removed from a water body will take years, or even decades, to replace," a group of experts warned. "Turtles cannot replace themselves like gray squirrels, whitetail deer, or even alligators."

A spiny soft-shell turtle swims at Balmorhea State Park in Toyahvale, Texas.
A spiny soft-shell turtle swims at Balmorhea State Park in Toyahvale, Texas.   (AP Photo/LM Otero)
A Florida soft-shell turtle crosses the road in Clewiston, Fla. near Lake Okeechobee as he searches for a water hole.
A Florida soft-shell turtle crosses the road in Clewiston, Fla. near Lake Okeechobee as he searches for a water hole.   (AP Photo/J. Pat Carter)
Conservationists are calling for strict limits to be placed on the number of turtles that can be caught in the wild.
Conservationists are calling for strict limits to be placed on the number of turtles that can be caught in the wild.   (Shutterstock)
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They've been around for hundreds of millions of years and have survived climate change and lots of other things. And now we're about to eat them out of existence. - Jeff Miller, a spokesman for the Center for Biological Diversity

It's insatiable. If we harvested every single turtle in Florida and sent every single one to Asia, there would still be a demand for more. That's how scary it is.
- Matt Aresco, a Florida biologist

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3 comments
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riffran
Dec 27, 08 5:56 AM CST
it seems like every year there is another species threatened by asian gastronomy, and herbal lore...why cant they find a delicacy like I don't know ummmm sparrow tounge or crow brain, or wild hog tripe...lol...riff Reply
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kati
Dec 27, 08 10:53 AM CST
The Chinese brutalize and exploit everything in sight. This one for their lust for "entertainment": "A horse is forced to carry a lion around an enclosure. The horse is kept in motion by a trainer with a whip; this horse has no choice..." http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/hope-for-horse-made-to-carry-lion Reply
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IN RESPONSE:
Shannonals
Dec 27, 08 2:07 PM CST
Kati, you seriously need to relax, Amercans have just as many vices, if not more. The only difference is that our vices aren't that exotic
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