Damage and Damage Identification

Eastern box turtle, Terrapene carolina

Turtles are seldom a pest to people. Turtles are very beneficial and of economic importance, except in certain areas such as waterfowl sanctuaries, aquaculture facilities, and rice fields in the south. Indiscriminate destruction of turtles is strongly discouraged, and every effort should be made to ensure that local populations are not exterminated unless it can be clearly demonstrated that they are undesirable. Some species of pond and marsh turtles are occasional economic pests in rice fields in the south. Their feeding activity on young rice often results in significant yield reductions in local areas. In farm ponds, turtles undoubtedly compete with fish for natural food sources such as crayfish and insects. Turtles, however, are valuable because they kill diseased and weakened fish, and clean up dead or decaying animal matter.

In commercial aquaculture production ponds, turtles can eat fish that are being grown. They also eat fish food. Aquaculture ponds are not the preferred habitat of turtles, however. The heavy clay soils required for pond construction are not conducive to the turtles’ laying of eggs.

Legal Status

Most turtles are not protected by state laws. Licenses usually are required for commercial fishing and sale of turtles. Before taking turtles, contact a state wildlife or conservation agency representative for legal status.

There were two turtles listed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service as endangered or threatened species as of December 1992. The desert tortoise was listed as threatened everywhere except for a population in Arizona. Its historic range is Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah. The gopher tortoise was listed as threatened wherever found west of the Mobile and Tombigbee rivers in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Its historic range is Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina.

Five freshwater turtles were listed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service as endangered or threatened species as of December 1992. The Alabama red-bellied turtle and the flattened musk turtle were listed as endangered and threatened, respectively. Alabama is the historic range of both species. The ringed sawback turtle is threatened in its historic range of Louisiana and Mississippi. The yellow-blotched map turtle is threatened in its historic range of Mississippi. The Plymouth red-bellied turtle is endangered in its historic range of Massachusetts.

Additional species under review include the alligator snapping turtle, bog turtles, and the western tortoises.

Economics of Damage and Control

Three groups of turtles are of economic importance in North America. They include the snapping turtles; the box, pond, and marsh turtles; and the soft-shelled turtles. Snapping turtles are trapped for human consumption and are being considered for aqua-culture. Red-eared turtles are cultured for the foreign pet trade. Soft-shell turtles are also trapped for human consumption.

Damage is typically of little economic concern, but may be a problem in rice and aquacultural production.