SEAFWA 2018

AUTHORS: John L. Carr, University of Louisiana at Monroe; Michael J. Dreslik, Illinois Natural History Survey; Carey Lynn Perry, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries; Karen Soileau, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Lafayette Ecological Services Office

ABSTRACT: SEAFWA’s Wildlife Diversity Committee works with the Southeast Region of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) to support Species Status Assessments (SSAs) for species petitioned under the Endangered Species Act. Among these species is the Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii), with a scheduled SSA completion date in 2020. Across its range, populations have been impacted primarily by commercial harvesting, and to a lesser degree, factors such as habitat modification, predators, and introduced species. Alligator Snapping Turtle populations are highly susceptible to decline resulting from overutilization due to their life history characteristics (low recruitment, slow growth, long generation time). Commercial harvesting of the Alligator Snapping Turtle is now prohibited across its range; however, there have been few studies to assess the rate of recovery for populations and overall species status during the post-commercial harvesting period. Current survey data collected consistently is needed to document the abundance and size structure of populations and to inform the Service’s SSA. The goal of Louisiana’s Alligator Snapping Turtle surveys is to collect presence, occurrence, and habitat information (natural and anthropogenic) to model the present distribution of the species. Along with coordinated surveys in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee, Louisiana’s efforts will provide contemporary information on the abundance, size, and geographic distribution within multiple river systems in its range by directly surveying previously sampled sites and new sites.