Magnitude of the Freshwater Turtle Exports from the US: Long Term Trends and Early Effects of Newly Implemented Harvest Management Regimes

Unregulated commercial harvest remains a major threat for turtles across the globe. Due to continuing demand from Asian markets, a significant number of turtles are exported from the United States of America (US). Beginning in 2007, several southeastern states in the US implemented restrictions on the commercial harvest of turtles, in order to address the unsustainable take. We have summarized freshwater turtle exports from the US between 2002 and 2012 and demonstrated that the magnitude of turtle exports from the US remained high although the exports decreased throughout the decade. Louisiana and California were the major exporters. The majority of exports were captive bred, and from two genera, Pseudemys and Trachemys. We review the changes over the decade and speculate that the increase in export of wild turtles out of Louisiana after 2007 could be a consequence of strict regulations in surrounding states (e.g., Alabama, Florida). We suggest that if wild turtle protection is a goal for conservation efforts, then these states should work together to develop comprehensive regulation reforms pertaining to the harvest of wild turtles.

不受监管的商业捕捞仍是全球龟类面临的主要威胁。受亚洲市场持续需求驱动，大量龟类经美利坚合众国（United States of America，下称美国）出口。2007年起，美国东南部多个州出台龟类商业捕捞限制政策，以应对不可持续的捕捞活动。本研究汇总了2002至2012年间美国淡水龟（freshwater turtle）的出口数据，结果表明尽管该十年间出口总量持续下滑，但美国龟类出口规模仍维持在较高水平。路易斯安那州与加利福尼亚州为主要出口州。出口龟类中绝大多数为人工繁育（captive bred）个体，且分属于伪龟属（Pseudemys）与滑龟属（Trachemys）两个属。本研究梳理了该十年间的变化趋势，并推测2007年后路易斯安那州野生龟类出口量的攀升，可能是周边州（如阿拉巴马州、佛罗里达州）出台严格监管措施所致。本研究建议，若将野生龟类保护作为保育工作的目标，则上述各州应携手制定针对野生龟类捕捞的综合性监管改革方案。