Ending The Harvest Of Terrapins In New York

Cowboy_Ken

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Please Respond To Letter Concerning Ending The Harvest Of Terrapins In New York To [email protected]

Dear Scientists, Conservationists,

Diamondback terrapins face diverse and serious threats along our coasts, including habitat loss, entanglement in fishing gear, road mortality, and overharvest. Although most states in the terrapin’s range have ended commercial harvest, New York still allows harvest of terrapins during a nine-month open season. Fortunately, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation recently announced that it is informally considering a new idea for terrapin management—a full closure of the hunting season.

It is crucial that the Department now hear from scientists who support a complete ban on terrapin harvesting in New York’s waters.

Pasted below is a letter the Center for Biological Diversity will send to the New York Department of Environmental Conservation. If you would like to be included, please reply to [email protected] by December 13 with your: name, title or degree, affiliation (if you’d like to identify it), and location.

Please also share this message with other scientists who may want to add their names.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Elise Bennett
Staff Attorney
Center for Biological Diversity


Letter Text:

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Bureau of Wildlife
625 Broadway
Albany, NY 12233-4754
[email protected]

Re: Close the Terrapin Hunting Season in New York

We, the undersigned scientists—with collective expertise in conservation biology, ecology, population dynamics, wildlife management and other areas relevant to turtle conservation—urge the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to follow through with its informal rulemaking proposal and amend its regulations to end the harvest of wild terrapins in state waters.

Because diamondback terrapins depend on high adult survivorship, long lives, and repeated reproductive opportunities to exist, loss of even a small number of terrapins can result in drastic population declines. In fact, scientists have repeatedly found that due to their life history characteristics, turtles cannot sustain any significant level of wild collection without suffering population declines.

Under current New York regulations, holders of a diamondback terrapin license may take unlimited numbers of wild terrapins during a nine-month open season. The science shows that this policy is at odds with successful conservation of the species. To ensure the health and survival of New York’s terrapins and the estuaries they inhabit, we ask that the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation promptly close the harvesting season for terrapins.


Sincerely,

Collette Adkins
M.S. Wildlife Conservation; Ph.D. Candidate in Conservation Biology
Center for Biological Diversity
Minneapolis, MN
[email protected]

Dr. Russell Burke
Department of Biology
Hofstra University
Hempstead, NY
[email protected]
 

edwardbo

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At the risk of ignorance , what are they harvesting them for ? Also nine months seems like such a long season ,
 

Cowboy_Ken

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DO THIS AS A CHRISTMAS/HANAKA/MIDDLE MOOSE GIFT TO YOURSELF,

DEADLINE IS DECEMBER 23, 2016


TO HELP END THE HARVEST OF NEW YORK'S TERRAPINS

GO TO THE FOLLOWING WEBPAGE;

http://action.biologicaldiversity.org/o/2167/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=17522

THERE YOU CAN AUTOMATICALLY SEND A LETTER TO
THE NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION



IF YOU WOULD RATHER NOT USE YOUR OWN WORDS, YOUR LETTER WILL SAY:

SUBJECT: END THE HARVEST OF NEW YORK'S TERRAPINS

I AM WRITING IN FULL SUPPORT OF YOUR PROPOSAL TO PERMANENTLY CLOSE THE HARVEST OF DIAMONDBACK TERRAPINS IN NEW YORK. AS YOU KNOW THESE TURTLES PLAY VERY IMPORTANT ROLES IN OUR ECOSYSTEMS -- EATING SALT MARSH PERIWINKLES, FOR INSTANCE, WHICH WOULD DEVASTATE COASTAL GRASSES IF LEFT UNCHECKED. THEY'RE ALSO BEAUTIFUL AND IRREPLACEABLE PARTS OF THE STATE'S NATURAL HERITAGE WHICH DESERVE OUR CARE AND RESPECT.

IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE STATE CURRENTLY ALLOWS PERMIT HOLDERS TO COLLECT TERRAPINS IN UNLIMITED NUMBERS DURING A NINE-MONTH OPEN SEASON. THIS POLICY MUST CHANGE. TURTLES LIKE THE DIAMONDBACK TERRAPIN RELY ON HIGH ADULT SURVIVORSHIP, LONG LIVES, AND REPEATED REPRODUCTIVE OPPORTUNITIES. AND TAKING EVEN A FEW ADULT FEMALES CAN QUICKLY CAUSE POPULATION CRASHES -- WHICH IS WHY SCIENTISTS HAVE REPEATEDLY CONCLUDED THAT TURTLES CAN'T SUSTAIN EVEN MODERATE LEVELS OF COLLECTION. LAX HARVEST RULES CAN ALSO CREATE DANGEROUS "LOOPHOLES" FOR POACHERS WHO TRAP TERRAPINS IN OTHER STATES WHERE IT'S PROHIBITED AND TRAFFIC THEM ACROSS NEW YORK'S BORDERS TO SELL.

THAT'S WHY I'M ASKING YOUR DEPARTMENT TO PUT ITS GREAT IDEA INTO ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND JOIN THE MAJORITY OF OTHER COASTAL STATES IN ENDING THE TERRAPIN HARVEST. WITH SO MANY PRESSURES WEIGHING ON THESE CREATURES, INCLUDING RAPIDLY DISAPPEARING COASTAL HABITATS, THEY NEED OUR HELP NOW MORE THAN EVER.

SINCERELY,

Your letter will be sent to:

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Email:[email protected]
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

YOU DON’T HAVE TO LIVE IN NYS OR THE US TO VOICE YOUR CONCERN AND SEND A LETTER


IF YOU LIVE OUT OF THE US, WHERE IT ASKS YOU FOR THE STATE YOU LIVE IN JUST SAY OTHER

Thank You
Allen Salzberg
Publisher, Editor Herpdigest
Conservation Chair for the New York Turtle and Tortoise Society
Member of the IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Species Survival Group
 

Cowboy_Ken

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Don't know if they'll count none US scientists, but I'll have a go. :)
Worth a try.
Greetings Adam,
While I read my last post on here, I saw your question answered at the end. It says impart, "if you live outside the US" to simply put down, "other". Bahda-Bing, bahda-boom as the young people say…
 

Tidgy's Dad

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Greetings Adam,
While I read my last post on here, I saw your question answered at the end. It says impart, "if you live outside the US" to simply put down, "other". Bahda-Bing, bahda-boom as the young people say…
Hi, Ken, nice to see you about the place.
Yep, done.
 
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