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SSB 3062 Turtle harvest. Look at this one

Fishbonker

Life Member
This bill requires the NRC to adopt rules to limit noncommercial and prohibit commercial harvest of turtles in any waters in Iowa.

https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=%24selectedGa.generalAssemblyID&ba=ssb3062

The DNR proposed limiting turtle harvest last year through the NRC system. It made it almost to the Governor before it hit the road block all DNR proposals hit. One of the Governor's aides has a, well, "thing" for the DNR. Many proposals never make it past this aides desk.

Having said that, the Legislature took it upon themselves to try and stop the rapidly declining turtle population in the State. Commercial turtle fishermen were shipping thousands of Iowa turtles to Asia, both alive and dead. This bill calls for the reduction in noncommercial harvest and stopping the commercial harvest until 2021 or until the DNR can present a biology based assessment of the turtle population in Iowa. With the under funding in the DNR I can't imagine they will have the funds to present this study until 2021.

I have talked with several people in the past year all who say turtles are disappearing in Iowa. The reproduction rate of turtles is very low and commercial fishing was far out pacing the species ability to replenish their numbers.

I understand that the ban on business may be seen by some as unnecessary government intrusion. The DNR tried to slow down harvest but were thwarted by the very government that is supposed to support wildlife.

I plan on writing to my Senator in hopes that this Study Bill moves through the process and becomes law.

But as always, read the bill and draw your own conclusions.
 
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Doing my part for the turtle population. :D Catch and release of this one last summer, caught it on dip bait while catfishing.
 
Randy...what a TURTLE NOOB you are!! I am positive that you should have been holding that beast by the FRONT of the shell! Only babies and sissies hold them by the tail!! :D :D
 
Randy...what a TURTLE NOOB you are!! I am positive that you should have been holding that beast by the FRONT of the shell! Only babies and sissies hold them by the tail!! :D :D

Knew a family back home that did a lot of hand fishing for snappers. They would find them in the mud with metal rods, could hear a hollow thud when they hit one. Then, they would reach down and feel around the shell. If the end was smooth, that was the head, work to the other end with the points to find the tail. :eek:

No thanks!!
 
This bill requires the NRC to adopt rules to limit noncommercial and prohibit commercial harvest of turtles in any waters in Iowa.

https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=%24selectedGa.generalAssemblyID&ba=ssb3062

The DNR proposed limiting turtle harvest last year through the NRC system. It made it almost to the Governor before it hit the road block all DNR proposals hit. One of the Governor's aides has a, well, "thing" for the DNR. Many proposals never make it past this aides desk.

Having said that, the Legislature took it upon themselves to try and stop the rapidly declining turtle population in the State. Commercial turtle fishermen were shipping thousands of Iowa turtles to Asia, both alive and dead. This bill calls for the reduction in noncommercial harvest and stopping the commercial harvest until 2021 or until the DNR can present a biology based assessment of the turtle population in Iowa. With the under funding in the DNR I can't imagine they will have the funds to present this study until 2021.

I have talked with several people in the past year all who say turtles are disappearing in Iowa. The reproduction rate of turtles is very low and commercial fishing was far out pacing the spices ability to replenish their numbers.

I understand that the ban on business may be seen by some as unnecessary government intrusion. The DNR tried to slow down harvest but were thwarted by the very government that is supposed to support wildlife.

I plan on writing to my Senator in hopes that this Study Bill moves through the process and becomes law.

But as always, read the bill and draw your own conclusions.

I heard alot about the (Block Aid) before it get to the governors desk. I'll let you explain that better if you choose to do so. I'm sure many people aren't aware of the problem.
 
Knew a family back home that did a lot of hand fishing for snappers. They would find them in the mud with metal rods, could hear a hollow thud when they hit one. Then, they would reach down and feel around the shell. If the end was smooth, that was the head, work to the other end with the points to find the tail. :eek:

No thanks!!

I also knew some people that did this too and they often tried to get me to join in. NO WAY was I ever going to start feeling around in the mud for a snapping turtle!! :eek::eek:
 
There was a guy that had a guest appearance on a show. Maybe it was Dirtiest Jobs or something. He'd do the feeling around on the bottom with his feet thing, find one, dunk his head in the water, come up with a turtle and a rebel yell. He didn't have any front teeth. The guy ended up with his own show. Never watched it.

I emailed my Senator last night and got a short "Thanks for calling this to my attention" note this morning. I reread my email. Same as in my post above I misspelled "Species".

I jave to wonder what turtle spice smells like. Prolly pond scum.
 
I heard alot about the (Block Aid) before it get to the governors desk. I'll let you explain that better if you choose to do so. I'm sure many people aren't aware of the problem.

I don't like to call people out on a public forum but since you asked.......

A few years ago the Governor made an executive order, under the guise of financial benefit to the state, that all proposed rule changes from all commissions had to go through his office before the rule could be approved. For the rule to be approved it needed to be reviewed by a group (whose name I cannot remember) to estimate the impact on the revenues for the state. If the rule change is a money maker it goes through if not it goes away.

Sounds simple right? In actuality the executive order did two things, gave the Governor total control of every commission and gave the Governor a means to protect his "best interests" i.e, the Farm Bureau and others.

Commissions, by law, are made up equally of Republicans, Democrats and Independents as well as equity in gender, geographic location and diversity. The members of the Commission are appointed by the Governor. Under this executive order it doesn't matter the make up of the commission the Governor controls everything they do.

The Natural Resources Commission falls under this executive order.

The Governor's "best interests" when it comes to deer hunting is Farm Bureau first and hunters a distant second. The financial impact of trying to reduce the number of antlerless tags and seasons would have a negative impact on the revenues of the state due to crop loss and insurance company loss due to vehicle/deer interactions. So the attempts by the DNR with sound scientific and biological facts to reduce the number of antlerles tags by meaningful numbers fell on deaf ears.

Yes, the NRC was allowed to drop antlerless tags but only to the number that had been sold in the county the previous year. The late center fire season went away but only after a few years of us literally begging for it.

This brings us to last years DNR/NRC proposal to decrease turtle harvest.

The DNR went to the hill armed with scientific data and biologic facts showing the alarming rate in the decline of turtles in Iowa. They were to meet with the Governor's Aide, J. Vande Hoef, that is tasked with overseeing the DNR/NRC's proposals. Instead of J. Vande Hoef they met with another Aide who listened to the facts and data and green lighted the proposal. The DNR representatives left the hill that afternoon confident that they would get the decrease in turtle harvest.

Within hours, J. Vande Hoef turned the green light into a red one. No reason given, but one is left to surmise the economic impact to turtle harvesters, turtle brokers and turtle transporters would be the reason. I remember reading the revenue impact study a few weeks later and the reasons given are as surmised.

Why is this important you ask? Because J. Vande Hoef is the same Aide that has stopped meaningful antlerless tag reductions despite scientific data showing the decline in the deer herd. It isn't too hard to draw a line between deer and turtles. If Ms. Vande Hoef is OK with turtles being trapped to extinction what do you think her goal for the deer herd is?

It is left for speculation if the Governor ever even hears about the wishes of hunters. I'm afraid what he hears, or perhaps what he wants to hear, is tightly controlled by Aides such as Ms. Vande Hoef.

OK that turned into a bit of a rant but suffice it to say Ms. Vande Hoef is responsible for blocking many more DNR/NRC proposals than the few I've tried to outline here. I don't know if she has a personal grudge against the DNR/NRC or goes over the line with the executive order. Either way, it ain't good for hunters in Iowa.

Ms. Vande Hoef's name is not a stranger to this site. There was a thread a few years ago asking everyone to contact her and the Governor about anterless tags and seasons. I think we broke her inbox.
 
I personally know 2 board members that are involved at the legislature and we have talked about the (Block Aid) for a few years. When they are true facts sportsmen Iowa need to know these facts. How the Aids, Farm Bureau, are tied together and the corruption. In situations like these awesome job on calling them out and on explanation. The Sportsmen of Iowa should be outraged.
 
I met a guy in a bar down in Keo a few years ago that told me about his turtle farm. Until then I was not aware of this turtle export business. I was also not aware that their was an active harvest of wild turtles for commercial export. Of course the reminders about the "blockade" get me agitated enough to fire off a letter to my reps.
 
Correction. 100 pounds of live turtle or 50 pounds of dressed turtle meat. And non residents are only allowed to take them from the Mississippi, the Missouri, and Big Sioux rivers
 
If memory serves me right, any person with a valid Iowa fishing license can be in possession or 25 pounds of cleaned turtle meat or 50 pounds of live turtle. I may be off on the numbers but that's what sounds right.

I was just kidding, but interesting to know. Turtle meat is popular item in some counties in MN
 
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