Revised URTD Testing Policy DRAFT - July 2006Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) staff and gopher tortoise stakeholders have agreed that few conservation benefits to the species are being realized by current URTD testing practices associated with tortoise relocation. At the 31 March 2006 Stakeholders Advisory Group meeting, the majority of representatives were in favor of substantial change to current URTD testing guidelines. The advisory group suggested that FWC staff expand the proposed changes and present them to stakeholders for further review. This represents an overview of substantial changes to URTD testing which will be integrated into current gopher tortoise permitting policy.
The timeline for overhauling the current tortoise relocation permitting program is tied to the listing reclassification process which is in its second phase. This phase entails drafting of a management plan. FWC staff will continue to work with stakeholders throughout 2006, and approval for the new permitting system and the gopher tortoise management plan will be sought at the June 2007 FWC Commission meeting.
However, upon further reflection of this proposed timeline, the Stakeholder Advisory Group voted unanimously on 9 June 2006 to request that FWC consider suspension of mandatory URTD testing before the end of 2006 and prior to adoption of the overall management plan.
Several issues need to be addressed by FWC and stakeholders for such a change to be fully effective, including:
- Identifying high priority protected tortoise populations that should not be exposed to the risk of disease from introduced tortoises.
- A protocol for disposition of tortoises showing clinical signs of URTD.
- The need to identify new recipient sites to receive tortoises.
- The development of a coherent restocking policy and procedures as part of the species management plan.
- Establishing a monitoring program for tracking both URTD seroprevalence through Florida, and for following up on gopher tortoise restockings (including surveys to determine if mortality is occurring).
Although suspension of URTD testing can be immediately implemented, the issues above will be addressed in the gopher tortoise management plan. Therefore, the effectiveness of this change will take some time to be fully realized.
Nevertheless, for the many reasons outlined in previous URTD testing discussions, and to help reduce the numbers of tortoises currently being lost on development sites through incidental take, FWC staff will suspend mandatory testing effective 15 August 2006.
Proposed changes are as follows:
- Mandatory URTD testing of tortoises prior to off-site relocation will no longer be required by FWC (this includes conservation-based restockings as well as relocations solely for humane purposes). However, FWC or the recipient site landowner still reserves the right to not allow untested or known seropositive individuals to be relocated onto their properties, especially high priority tortoise conservation preserves.
- FWC will establish “no-relocation” boundaries around high priority tortoise conservation preserves.
- In cases where testing is undertaken, FWC recommends;
- Seronegative and suspect tortoises may be relocated if they are not symptomatic (i.e., showing clinical signs of URTD such as nasal or ocular discharge).
- Seropositive tortoises may be relocated on-site, moved to a designated seropositive site, or moved to a recipient site at the landowner’s discretion.
- Symptomatic tortoises should not be relocated off-site. These tortoises may be relocated on-site, or humanely euthanized (other options?).
- FWC will develop a monitoring program for tracking both URTD seroprevalence through Florida, and for following up on gopher tortoise restockings (including surveys to determine if mortality is occurring).
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