Politics & Government

Saving the State's Snappers

The DEEP is setting limits on the harvesting of Connecticut's snapping turtles.

By Eileen McNamara

Worried about the sustainability of the Connecticut snapping turtle, state regulators are proposing new rules to limit the number and size of turtles that can be harvested here each year. 

Connecticut currently has no regulations on the hunting or fishing of snappers, a hooked-beak turtle long prized in this state and beyond for its meat. The popularity of snapper meat, considered a delicacy in some cultures, is growing and with it the taking of the prehistoric-looking animal. 

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Officials with the state's Department of Environmental Protection are worried snappers could be come endangered and have proposed new rules that would set July 15 to Sept. 30 as snapping turtle hunting season in Connecticut, according to a Hartford Courant report. 

The new rules, currently pending before a state committee, would also limit to 30 the number of snappers each fisherman or hunter could take annually.

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