Changes are coming to turtle trapping in Iowa.
DNR Officer Eric Hoffman says the legislature has called for legislation creating a turtle trapping season in the state and setting limits on how many turtles can be harvested per day. Calls for legislation come in the wake of data from surrounding states demonstrating that the harvesting of turtles has begun to affect the population. Turtles reach sexual maturity late in life, between eight and twelve years of age, and few of the many eggs they lay will survive to adulthood. This means the removing of females from the breeding pool can have drastic impacts on the long term population. Females tend to be larger and more desirable because turtles are sold by the pound. Hoffman says biologists, DNR representatives and turtle trappers are working closely together in order to develop legislation that serves everyone’s best interests. The state has commissioned a five-year study to gather more information on the turtle population.