Posted by:
caudisona
at Thu May 31 22:49:38 2007 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by caudisona ]
Wow, I got a totally different feeling after seeing these events unfold in person. There were about 20-25 speakers who got up to give their 3 minutes of testimony on the subject: about 8 or so speaking against the white list and 18 or so talking in favor of the white list (most in favor of a complete ban on commercial collections of all turtles).
Most of the folks speaking on behalf of the dealers/commercial aspects were wholly ineffectual in presenting their defense. The lawyers hired by the pet dealers did try to convince the commissioners that the white list was not legal because of technicalities, but one of the commissioners essentially shut that line of defense down (very obvious defense by the commissioners (so obvious I even thought of it before it was presented) that showed the lawyers were way out of their league). In fact, the most beligerent and rude folks in the audience during the presentations were the commercial dealers sitting behind me, including the "big" dealer. They were enraged by the testimony, obviously seeing the writing on the wall.
Most of the speakers speaking in favor of the white list were quite good in presenting their cases. In fact, many of these speakers offered different reasons for their support of the white list. Several speakers were exceptional in their presentations, including the phrase, when asked what he thought about the protection and management of Texas non-game wildlife, "Non-game wildlife, as a resource in Texas, is on fire."
It appeared to me that the speakers in favor of the white list were preaching to the choir. The commissioners were very clear that they were concerned about commercial collections of non-game wildlife. In fact, Chair Fitzsimmons stopped speakers several times to clarify that the current collection regulations were that there essentially were none and this white list was an attempt to finally regulate collections of non-game animals.
One phrase that kept popping up was that there were no data that conclusively documented the effects of commerical collections on all turtle populations in the state. This is true (I don't know of any). However, the commissioners turned this around and asked of the commercial collectors if there were any data to support the idea that commerical collections were a sustainable enterprise in this state (there are none, and in fact there is conclusive evidence from southeast Asia to the contrary).
Yes, the fact that some turtle species will still be allowed to be collected from private lands isn't a complete victory. But this will also be an opportunity to demonstrate whether the harvest of this resource is or isn't sustainable - the burden of proof will be on the dealers in this case. One commissioner mused whether commerical dealer reports could be made on a monthly basis to better watch the numbers of turtles harvested. The permits and reports that commercial dealers have to file will have the location and dates of collection for all animals, including names and phone numbers of private land owners - there will be a paper trail to try and prove provenance. Additionally provisions were added to aid in the grandfathering of residents possessing numbers of animals exceeding the bag limits and an effort to grandfather turtle farms in the state.
The fact that bag limits have finally been established in this state is huge (6 per species for non-white list animals)! The fact that there is a white list identifying those species that can be commerically collected is a huge step in bringing this state into the 21st century. This was a huge set of changes for this state. Further changes can (and will be) made as we all push for
As I left the commissioners hearing, I overheard several commercial dealers extremely upset that several TPWD folks wouldn't even talk to them after the meeting (this included the "big" turtle dealer). If TPWD is in the pocket of these commercial dealers, I guess it must have been those commercial dealers who were so sure the white list wouldn't pass that they didn't even bother showing up. Commercial dealers are extremely upset at the passage of the white list - I would imagine that several will go out of business almost immediately.
just my interpretation of the events as I personally saw them. I understand some folks' frustrations over the events not resulting in a complete ban, but I am very heartened at the prospects this decision has on non-game wildlife in Texas.
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travis
austin, tx
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RE: Turtle Harvest Update - dirty politi - caudisona, Thu May 31 22:49:38 2007