Below in the discussion regarding over-collection in California, BigBrother posted the following in response to a question of which herps in Calif were in decline due to collecting.



"Yes, like it or not, species are in decline in California in part because of over collection. See the report:

Jennings, Mark R. and Marc P. Hayes. 1994. Amphibian and Reptile Species of Special Concern in California. Final report submitted to The California Department of Fish and Game, Inland Fisheries Division. Ppii-255.



The following is a partial list of the herp species in California that are reported to be in decline in part because of over collecting or poaching for the pet trade:

Breckenridge mountain slender salamander

Yellow-blotched salamander

Large-blotched salamander

Coast range newt

Northern red-legged frog

Western pond turtle

Banded Gila monster

San Diego horned lizard

Flat-tailed horned lizard

Sandstone night lizard

Sierra night lizard

Baja California rat snake

San Bernardino mountain kingsnake

San Diego mountain kingsnake

Rosy boa

So as you can see, there are species in California subjected to over collecting, and there are many papers published in peer-reviewed journals that also support this contention. Just because you may not think your actions do not have an impact on wild populations does not mean the impacts are not there. "





The problem with this document and this assertion is that none of it was supported by data. The involvement of collection in the decline of these species was pure speculation. In fact if you read the document you will find that a large number of the rederences it uses are Personal Communication references.



In a meeting between CHIAC (an old lobbying group for herp regs in Calif) and the Calif DFG back about the time this Jennings and Hayes document was produced, John Brode, then head of herpetology for the DFG, admitted that the DFG had no evidence to support that collecting was impacting herp populations.



It is interesting how herps are catogorized different from other species. Why can we remove thousands of deer annually without impacting the health of their population, yet the legal removal of quite probably a lot fewer snakes is thought to have an obvious negative impact? That is illogical.



I have linked the Jennings and Hayes document if you would like to read it. The section on the San Bernadino Mtn kingsnake is especially enlightening.
Jennings and Hayes


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Rick Staub

R&R Reptiles

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