Are alligator snapping turtles protected in South Carolina?
South Carolina Governor Signs Bill to Protect Wild Turtles From Poaching, Trade – Center for Biological Diversity. COLUMBIA, S.C.— Gov. Henry McMaster has signed a bill that bans the commercial trade of native turtles in South Carolina. The new law ends the commercial trade of all native turtle species in the state.
Can you hunt alligator snapping turtles?
Alligator snapping turtles are declining due to habitat degradation and overharvesting for their meat. They are not an endangered species, but some states have imposed bans on collecting them from the wild.
Is it legal to eat alligator snapping turtle?
Fortunately, alligator snapping turtles are now afforded some protection in every state in which they occur, and at this very moment the federal government is under pressure to protect them under the Endangered Species Act. Even if you can legally eat a snapping turtle, there’s another good reason why you shouldn’t.
Can you hunt snapping turtles in South Carolina?
Currently in South Carolina there is no permit needed to harvest turtles. Its shell is easily distinguished from the spiked shell characteristic of the alligator snapping turtle. Snapping turtles can range in weight from 10 to 35 pounds. Their shells range in length from 8 to 18½ inches.
What turtles are protected in South Carolina?
Wild Turtles In South Carolina Now Protected From Poaching
- Florida cooter (Pseudemys floridana)
- river cooter (Pseudemys concinna)
- chicken turtle (Deirochelys reticularia)
- eastern painted turtle (Chrysemys picta)
- spiny softshell turtle (Apalone spinifera)
- Florida softshell turtle (Apalone ferox)
Is Snapping turtle meat healthy?
“A meal would be a mouthful of turtle meat, followed by drinking its blood. The blood is a little difficult to drink as it congeals – so you have to knock it back. “We made soup out of turtle eggs – and we chewed on the bones for days on end to get the marrow.”