There is good news and bad news. Good News: Last month the Texas Parks & Wildlife Commission approved a new ruling that will prohibit commercial collection of all wild turtles from public waters and public land in the state. Bad News: It will still allow commercial collection of three varieties of turtles on private property. The unlucky three are red-eared sliders, common snappers and the five varieties of softshell turtles. These unlucky turtles can still be collected from private property and shipped off to Asia and be held in inhumane, filthy, overcrowded conditions and abused in their food markets.

I suppose I'm mostly happy about the ruling. This is better than no regulation. I feel deeply sorry for the poor beasts that will end up dead in Asia. If you would like to read about the new regulation see this TP&W link:

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/releases/?req=20070529a

There are other laws to be passed in Texas concerning the possession of turtles NOT for sale:

To see how the new laws will affect pet turtle owners, see this link: Pet Turtle Owner- New Texas Law Clarification

To see how the new laws will affect individuals and organizations involved with turtle rehabilitation and rescue, see this link: Turtle Rehabbers & Rescue Organizations- New Texas Law Clarification