DNR’s scientists: how much more can we stand?

[Marguerite Whilden]

Marguerite Whilden

March 30, 2007 at 6:20 pm #24620

DNR’s scientists: how much more can we stand?

Editor’s notebook:
Terrapins
By THE CAPITAL EDITORIAL BOARD Published March 24, 2007, The Capital, Annapolis, Md.
Copyright _ 2007 The Capital, Annapolis, Md. TERRAPINS – We don’t yet know how this General Assembly session is going to turn out for state humans, but it looks like it will be a good one for the state reptile – in part because of Del. Virginia Clagett of West River. She was the main backer of legislation banning the harvesting of the diamondback terrapin. It has now been passed by overwhelming margins in the House and Senate and seems likely to become law. The bill is not popular at the Department of Natural Resources, even though the O’Malley administration also wants the harvest shut down and the DNR was working on its own regulations to do so. The agency’s argument is that such decisions should be made by the DNR’s scientists, not legislators. In the abstract, we agree. But the DNR’s last attempt to limit the terrapin harvest – judging by the figures gathered – seems to have resulted in a big increase in the harvest instead. After that spectacular fumble, the DNR shouldn’t be surprised that legislators grabbed the ball. We know far too little about the numbers and health of the terrapin population. But we do know there’s a big demand for turtle meat in Asian markets, and that the loss of marshes and beaches – the terrapins’ habitat – can’t be helping the species. The terrapin harvest should be shut down until we know a lot more. — Marguerite WhildenThe Terrapin InstituteP. O. Box 51Edgewater, MD 21037Voice 410 370 9171FAX 410 757 9268www.terrapininstitute.org “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change.”

[Author]

Posts