Legal Authority Over the Use of Native Amphibians and Reptiles in the United States State of the Union
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STATE OF THE UNION: Legal Authority Over the Use of Native Amphibians and Reptiles in the United States STATE OF THE UNION: Legal Authority Over the Use of Native Amphibians and Reptiles in the United States Coordinating Editors Priya Nanjappa1 and Paulette M. Conrad2 Editorial Assistants Randi Logsdon3, Cara Allen3, Brian Todd4, and Betsy Bolster3 1Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies Washington, DC 2Nevada Department of Wildlife Las Vegas, NV 3California Department of Fish and Game Sacramento, CA 4University of California-Davis Davis, CA ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS WE THANK THE FOLLOWING PARTNERS FOR FUNDING AND IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS RELATED TO THE DEVELOPMENT, EDITING, AND PRODUCTION OF THIS DOCUMENT: US Fish & Wildlife Service Competitive State Wildlife Grant Program funding for “Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Need” proposal, with its five primary partner states: l Missouri Department of Conservation l Nevada Department of Wildlife l California Department of Fish and Game l Georgia Department of Natural Resources l Michigan Department of Natural Resources Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation Arizona Game and Fish Department US Fish & Wildlife Service, International Affairs, International Wildlife Trade Program DJ Case & Associates Special thanks to Victor Young for his skill and assistance in graphic design for this document. 2009 Amphibian & Reptile Regulatory Summit Planning Team: Polly Conrad (Nevada Department of Wildlife), Gene Elms (Arizona Game and Fish Department), Mike Harris (Georgia Department of Natural Resources), Captain Linda Harrison (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission), Priya Nanjappa (Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies), Matt Wagner (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department), and Captain John West (since retired, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission) Nanjappa, P. and Conrad, P.M. (Eds.) 2011. State of the Union: Legal Authority Over the Use of Native Amphibians and Reptiles in the United States. Version 1.03. Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Washington, DC. Version 1.03, last updated December 2011 PHOTO CREDITS - LEFT TO RIGHT: © JOHN WHITE; © NHFG / VICTOR YOUNG ; © NHFG / VICTOR YOUNG; © JEREMY D H / CC SA; © CHAD COPPESS; © PAUL BLOCK COVER PHOTO: © JONATHAN MAYS / INSIDE COVER: © ROUGHCOLLIE - DREAMSTIMEFREE.COM LEFT TO RIGHT COVER THUMBS: © J.D WILSON; © GEORGE ANDREJKO; © J.D. WILSON STATE OF THE UNION Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS i MISSOURI 87 PURPOSE ii MONTANA 91 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY iii NEBRASKA 93 NEVADA 97 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iv NEW HAMPSHIRE 102 INTRODUCTION 1 NEW JERSEY 106 STATE ACCOUNTS: NEW MEXICO 108 ALABAMA 9 NEW YORK 111 ALASKA 11 NORTH CAROLINA 114 ARIZONA 14 NORTH DAKOTA 117 ARKANSAS 18 OHIO 119 CALIFORNIA 24 OKLAHOMA 122 COLORADO 28 OREGON 126 CONNECTICUT 31 PENNSYLVANIA 128 DELAWARE 33 RHODE ISLAND 133 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 36 SOUTH CAROLINA 135 FLORIDA 38 SOUTH DAKOTA 137 GEORGIA 42 TENNESSEE 141 HAWAII N/A TEXAS 144 IDAHO 44 UTAH 147 ILLINOIS 47 VERMONT 150 INDIANA 50 VIRGINIA 153 IOWA 54 WASHINGTON 157 KANSAS 57 WEST VIRGINIA 160 KENTUCKY 61 WISCONSIN 163 LOUISIANA 64 WYOMING 167 MAINE 67 MARYLAND 70 APPENDICES MASSACHUSETTS 73 APPENDIX A: COMMERCIAL COLLECTION LIMITS 169 MICHIGAN 77 APPENDIX B: PERSONAL COLLECTION LIMITS 178 MINNESOTA 80 APPENDIX C: LEGAL STATUS MISSISSIPPI 84 AND PERMISSIONS BY SPECIES 189 Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies i STATE OF THE UNION PURPOSE ative amphibians and reptiles (i.e., herpetofauna) provide a resource that can be used in a unique Nway relative to other vertebrates in the public trust. Herpetofauna are harvested for human food consumption, for their skins, as pets, for bait, and for hobbyist collection as well as for traditional wildlife uses such as for research or educational purposes. Each state has adopted laws and regula- tions pertaining to these various uses of amphibians and reptiles, and we summarize them here. While the herpetofauna user community largely supports the protection, persistence, and sustainable use of amphibians and reptiles, there is also growing evidence of increased use and commercialization of some native animals, which may become unsustainable and thus may warrant closer examination and/or additional regulation. This document can assist states should they consider any modifications to their existing legal and regulatory frameworks. The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ (Association) Amphibian and Reptile Subcommittee, in partnership with the Association Law Enforcement Committee, initiated a Herpetofauna Regulatory Summit on November 4th, 2009, among the State Fish and Wildlife Agencies, to begin to assess the current status of statutes, regulations, and policies in the states, to discuss needs and challenges of this unique resource, and to formulate recommendations to ensure sustainable use of native herpetofauna. We initially summarized the existing legal authority within the states in an early draft of this report, which served as a framework for our discussions and recommendations at the Summit. This report has been updated with additional information as a result of requests received at the Summit, and will guide the development of Association committee-reviewed companion recommendations for model regulatory approaches for the use of amphibians and reptiles. The purpose and intended use of this report is to: D Determine the current “State of the Union” with respect to: l laws and regulations in place for native amphibians and reptiles, l legal and regulatory approaches for specific uses, and l other special protections or policies D Identify commonalities among states, and unique or particular approaches that could inform the development of recommendations for model approaches D Provide a quick-reference and resource for state agency biological, law enforce- ment, or management personnel as part of their own state’s regulatory processes D Facilitate communication and collaboration among states to address challenges in regulating amphibian and reptile use and in enforcing existing laws For questions regarding this report, please contact Priya Nanjappa ([email protected]; 202.624.3643). PHOTO CREDITS - LEFT TO RIGHT: © GEORGE ANDREJKO / AZGFD; ©ERIC ALDRICH / NHFG; © JD WILSON; © JD WILSON; © JD WILSON; © JD WILSON; STATE OF THE UNION ii Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies EXECUTIVE SUMMARY he Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (Association) Methods: In order to assess the current status of amphibian Trepresents the fish and wildlife agencies from all of the and reptile statutes and regulations, we created and distributed 50 United States and the District of Columbia regarding the a questionnaire to all states (to Law Enforcement and Biologist conservation and management of fish and wildlife resources. staff), requesting information on general as well as on specific For the purposes of this report, the term “states” or “state fish laws and regulations pertaining to herpetofauna and their use. A and wildlife agencies” refers to State and District fish and wild- draft document was assembled in advance of the Summit, con- life agencies. All of the state fish and wildlife agencies have taining responses and summaries of information provided by 37 statutory responsibilities to regulate the uses of native wildlife, states. As of this version of document, all 49 continental states as including collection, importation, exportation, intrastate move- well as the District of Columbia responded to this questionnaire ment, and possession of fish and wildlife. and a final review has been completed (Hawaii was not included The Association’s Amphibian and Reptile Subcommittee and as the state has no native herpetofauna other than marine turtles Law Enforcement Committee joined together to examine the which are federally protected, and one sea snake). use of native amphibians and reptiles (herpetofauna) within the Accuracy and Updates: We are considering this to be a context of statutes and regulations in place and law enforcement living document, with periodic updates to be incorporated in thereof, as well as challenges in modifying existing or creating new order to maintain a useful resource. Information in this docu- statutes and regulations where necessary to ensure sustainable use ment was received directly from each state and was reviewed of this unique natural resource. To do so, the two groups co-spon- by each state. However, we recommend that readers seeking the sored an amphibian and reptile regulatory summit, “Applying the most current information should check directly with each state North American Model to Amphibians and Reptiles: Ensuring to ensure complete accuracy. Following the finalization of this Sustainable Use” on November 4th, 2009. The Association document in December 2011, companion recommendations for understands that amphibians and reptiles are the focus of a user model regulatory approaches will also be developed and pro- community that, in general, supports the protection, persistence, vided for review among Association committees, with a final and sustainable use of amphibians and reptiles. However, the set to be submitted for acceptance in March 2012. Association is also increasingly aware of large-scale uses, both NOTE: This document is not intended to be a definitive char- legal and illegal, that could threaten native wild populations. Thus, acterization of wildlife laws or regulations pertaining to herpe- as a result of the Summit, the Association