Terrapin harvest
jumps despite new restrictions
Last year the state put new restrictions on the terrapin harvest, hoping to
curb the number of turtles taken from the
But the move backfired.
During the three-month season last summer and fall, watermen reported
taking 10,278 terrapins totaling 17,472.6 pounds - and that doesn't count
turtles caught early in 2006 before the new harvest rules were in place.
That's up from 760 pounds in 2005, 2,622 pounds in 2004 and 676 pounds
in 2003. Although part of the large jump in 2006 can be attributed to stricter
reporting requirements, it still seems likely that the harvest increased.
The idea was to protect the large, reproductive-age females that
generally are larger than 6 inches. But what happened was that the market was
flooded with small males instead, according to watermen and terrapin dealers.
"It was a very good idea," said Lynn Fegley,
a Department of Natural Resources fisheries biologist. "The unintended
consequence was the increased exploitation of smaller males and sub-adult
females."
Now the DNR is considering changing the regulations again in time for the
2007 season. At the same time, state lawmakers are considering a bill that
would ban the terrapin harvest altogether.
Last night the DNR held an informational meeting about terrapins that
drew more than 40 people, ranging from watermen to reptile buffs to
environmental activists.
Part of the push for more terrapin regulations is the increasing
appetite for the turtles from Asian diners. Though terrapin soup long ago fell
out of fashion in
Terrapin supporters worry that without protections, the state reptile
could be fished out of existence due to the increasing demand. Complicating the
problem is the lack of solid data about how many terrapins are in the bay.
Marguerite Whilden, who runs the nonprofit Terrapin Institute in Shady
Side, said it's time for solid regulations to protect terrapins.
"We need to stop the trial-and-error management and get down to
what we know," she said.
For 2006, the DNR cut the season from nine months to three, and instead
of requiring a minimum size of 6 inches, allowed watermen to catch terrapins
ranging from 4 to 7 inches.
DNR officials cautioned that the 2006 numbers could be misleading,
because it was the first year that they got reliable reports from watermen, who
now have to hold a special terrapin permit. Before 2006, DNR officials assume
the terrapin catch was vastly underreported.
Larry Simns, longtime president of the
Maryland Watermen's Association, said it would be prudent to wait until after
the 2007 season before making changes.
"To do this properly, you need to go through another season to see
what the restrictions did or didn't do," he said.
And he cautioned the DNR and terrapin supporters to look beyond watermen
as the only threat to terrapins. The loss of terrapins' favored habitat - sandy
beaches and marshes - to development should be an equal concern, he said.
"You're really not solving the problem. You're just making yourself
feel good," he said.
Mike Johnson, a terrapin dealer, agreed.
"I don't care if I never sell another terrapin," he said.
"I would just like to see an equitable solution."
Howard King, the DNR's chief of fisheries,
said his department will come up with a proposal for new regulations in the
next few weeks.
"We will move as quickly as we can," he said.