Tom,

The unknown factor can be invoked anytime with any species in any population. This sounds an awful lot like the flawed precautionary principle. However, with minimal investigation we can probably arrive at some reasonable status and develop reasonable bag limits and management guidelines for every species. Let's look at your rare spotty in FL. Collectors can't find them so how are they going to collect them much less over-collect them? I have looked for spotty's on several occasions in the area of known localities and never found them. When Antonio found a DOR on SR 44 and a live one was caught behind that big huge mall in Sanford, Mary Barnwell, Tim Walsh and I went to try and find them. We didn't have any luck. Eric Anderson said he saw some near Ocala NF. I have also looked at the locality in Lafayette County. And then there is that guy who has caught them down in the swamp. Now someone could get lucky and find a population and take all of them. This is why we need to regulate the situation. Should they be listed in Florida? Maybe. But we still would need LE to enforce the laws. We should also be tracking all harvest and liscensing everybody.

Welkerii

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