TIMES-REVIEW (Cleburne, Texas) 04 March 07 Collectors can turn turtles into profits (Matt Smith)

There’s big money in turtles. So says “Bayou Bob” Popplewell, a businessman from Santo who will host a free seminar at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Cleburne Civic Center on turtles and “turtling” for pay.

Popplewell, who studied herpetology at Stephen F. Austin University, owns the Brazos River Rattlesnake Ranch and has bought and sold rattlesnakes for years.

He later discovered a large market for turtles in Asia, where the popularity of turtle soup led to overharvesting in many areas.

Seeing an opportunity, Popplewell formed a company named U.S. Turtle and Aquatic Resource Technologies, or USTART, to meet the Asian demand.

USTART provides economic opportunity for rural areas, Popplewell said. He said about 300,000 turtles a year are needed to fill his contracts. To that end, Popplewell said he needs turtle harvesters, which USTART will train. Popplewell said the company will pay for the turtles residents catch.

Payment depends on the size and type of turtle, Popplewell said. Common snappers and soft-shell turtles bring more than red-eared sliders, which are more abundant.

Popplewell said a big snapper can fetch $35 to $40.

All that’s required to catch turtles, Popplewell said, is a hunting license and a non-game collector permit.
Collectors can turn turtles into profits

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