1000's of Florida turtles end up on dinner plates in Asia

THE PROBLEM: Having depleted their own turtle populations, many countries have begun importing large numbers of Florida softshell turtles.

The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission recently cut the commercial catch limit to 20 turtles per day per person, but many scientists say this won't be enough to prevent the species' decline... It's unclear whether that will have much effect because no one knows how many fishermen there are and how many turtles they've been catching.

Hauled from canals and marshes around Lake Okeechobee, turtles arrive in the late afternoon at Jones Fish House, a corrugated metal structure on the Palm Beach County side of the lake.

A truck sent by Tamarac seafood broker Wan To Ho pulls up every few days and takes the turtles to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport for a journey that will end in the soup bowls of Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai.

"The real problem is we have no idea how many people are fishing, we don't know how many they're taking," said Peter Meylan, professor of biology at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, who was among 32 scientists who signed a letter urging the state to impose a one-turtle-a-day limit. "Two guys fishing together can catch 40 turtles in a day. You're talking about a lot of biomass being taking out of ecosystems all over Florida."

Driving the business is the rising wealth of China, Vietnam, Malaysia and other Asian nations, where the desire for exotic meats and traditional medical ingredients has increased demand for such items as turtle and shark fins.

"In China and Vietnam, freshwater turtle and tortoise meat is a delicacy," said Barney Long, a wildlife biologist with the World Wildlife Fund.

AN EXAMPLE: One Fort Lauderdale seafood exporter buys 15,000 pounds a week, or 1,000 to 1,500 turtles, according to another state report. Kevin Enge, the biologist who wrote the report, confirmed that it was referring to Wan To Ho, president of Mr. Sushi Catering, of Tamarac.

"I think I'm not doing anything wrong," said Ho, who emigrated from southern China more than 30 years ago. "I help export. I help the fishermen."

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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/lifestyle/green/sfl-flbturtles1119sbnov19,0...

FYI: THE TOP 3 TURTLE INPORTERS ARE:

HONG KONG
13.6 million

TAIWAN
6.2 million

MEXICO
3.5 million