DES MOINES REGISTER (Iowa) 24 July 08 Poaching arrests follow demand for turtles (Juli Probasco-Sowers)

The arrests of two southern Iowa men on charges of illegal hunting are linked to the growing international market for turtles, Iowa Department of Natural Resources officials said Wednesday.

Burlington conservation officer Joe Fourdyce has noticed an increase in turtle trapping because of the demand for them as food and pets. There have been 176 turtle trapping licenses sold in Iowa this year, according to state licensing records. That compares with four licenses sold in 1998.

"Baby turtles are being sent to China," said Fourdyce, who works in the Burlington area.

He said the trapped adult turtles are being sold to breeders, who then hatch the turtle eggs in an incubator and send the babies to China to build up stock so more farm-raised turtles can be produced there. There's at least one breeder in Iowa.

Sandy Cleva, spokeswoman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Law Enforcement, said that selling turtles internationally is legal with the right permits and documents, as long as the species are not endangered.

The types of turtles taken in Iowa are snapping turtles, spiny soft-shell turtles, smooth soft-shell turtles and painted turtles. None of those species is endangered, and trappers are allowed to take as many as they catch, Fourdyce said.

A female snapping turtle or soft-shell turtle sells to a breeder for $1.50 a pound, and a male for $1 a pound. The painted turtles go for 50 cents a pound, Fourdyce said. The turtles can weigh 12 pounds or more.

The market in China is primarily for turtle meat and pets, said Cleva, adding that turtles are among the top 10 wildlife exports from the United States. Most of the turtle trade goes to China, Japan and other Asian countries, she said.

The poachers had appropriate licenses, but were not properly trapping the turtles or marking their nets, Fourdyce said.

Mike Kerr, 36, of Mount Pleasant and Jack Schafer, 38, of Fairfield were each charged with four counts of catching turtles with an illegal method and failure to have commercial gear tags attached to a net they were using; and one count of illegal taking/possessing of a turtle. The men are scheduled for a court appearance Aug. 12. An official said they were going to sell to a breeder.

If convicted, the men face fines up to $2,299.
Poaching arrests follow demand for turtles

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