Document Type
Article
Language
eng
Publication Date
Winter 2004
Publisher
Wiley
Source Publication
Wildlife Society Bulletin
Source ISSN
0091-7648
Abstract
Painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) are commercially harvested in large numbers in Minnesota for sale to biological supply companies and the pet trade. We investigated the possible effects of this harvest by comparing size, demography, and catch rates of painted turtles in 12 harvested and 10 nonharvested painted turtle populations in 2001 and 2002. We correlated turtle catch rates to harvest status, and harvested lakes had a lower catch-per-unit-effort than nonharvested lakes. Harvest had minimal effect on the size of turtles captured, and we found no significant differences in the count of male:female:juvenile turtles among lakes of different harvest status. We suggest that painted turtle populations likely have been impacted by harvester activities, but it was unclear whether the current harvest is sustainable. Further work is needed to determine whether there are any long-term effects on painted turtle populations.
Recommended Citation
Gamble, Tony and Simons, Andrew M., "Comparison of Harvested and Nonharvested Painted Turtle Populations" (2004). Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications. 752.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/bio_fac/752
Comments
Accepted version. Wildlife Society Bulletin, Vol. 32, No. 4 (Winter 2004) : 1269-1277. DOI. © 2004 Wiley. Used with permission.
Tony Gamble was affiliated with University of Minnesota, St. Paul at the time of publication.