RED-EARED SLIDER TURTLE (public domain image)
A St. Landry Parish woman is cited for allegedly selling native turtles online. Captain Scott Dupre with the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says the legislature recently passed a law making it illegal to sell native turtles in the state.
“We’re just trying to protect our native species here in Louisiana. Our biologists have seen a decrease in the populations, so they’re just doing what they can to protect it,” Dupre said.
LDWF agents got a tip that 32-year-old Sydney Broussard of Eunice was selling turtles online. They found that she was selling red-eared slider turtles for $8 apiece and an alligator snapping turtle for $30. Captain Dupre says Broussard faces a $350 fine for each turtle she was selling.
“All of those turtles were alive, so she would not have any restitution. However, if the turtle was dead and she was selling the meat, then she would be responsible for restitution,” Dupre explained.
Agents seized the turtles and returned them to the water. Dupre says while it’s illegal to sell native turtles in Louisiana, it’s not illegal to possess them, but there are limits.
“You can only possess 10 turtles in aggregate, but you can only possess two of one species; but only one alligator snapping turtle,” Dupre noted.
There are also prohibited turtle species, which are illegal to possess at all.
Comments