Hundreds of thousands of freshwater turtles are being harvested every year and shipped to Asia where they are considered a delicacy. Many of the turtles are killed to make soup.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Board took initial steps today to stop the exodus. Governor Charlie Crist lobbied hard for the ban.

“I think we need to ban the harvesting of turtles. I’ve written to the chairman and the members of the wildlife commission. I called the chairman again yesterday to encourage that position and chairman Rodney Barreto is a good man with a good heart and he cares about the turtles too. So I think we are going to be okay. The turtles are going to be okay,” said Crist.

The ban limits hunters to one turtle a day.