GREAT OUTDOORS: Wild turtle meat sales prohibited; Castalia trout fishing applications due

In the middle of March, I received a phone call from one of my high school classmates. As a former trapping partner who I remain in touch with, he asked me if it was true that turtle meat could no longer be sold. Turtle trapping has long been a summer avocation of Lake Erie area sportsmen who set turtle cage traps and baited lines in local waters and respond to calls from pond owners wanting them removed. I have seen turtle meat advertised for sale in several bait store windows in the Port Clinton area since I was a teenager and had not seen any news regarding changes in the law. I made a call to Ohio Division of Wildlife's (DOW) Lake Erie Law Enforcement Supervisor Matt Leibengood asking for confirmation. Because turtle season is closed until July 1, it is a bit outside his radar right now since during March. He is re-licensing and monitoring commercial fishermen who have begun their season, overseeing charter captain guide license renewals, helping Wildlife District 2 enforce fishing regulations during the walleye runs in the rivers, watching out for double-dipping and walleye over-bagging on the lake and actively reaching out to pet stores to be watchful for injurious Aquatic Nuisance Species (AIS). He looked up the 2026-2027 Fishing Regulations Guide where the fish, turtle and frog harvest rules, including seasons, methods, minimum sizes and daily bag limits are posted and quickly confirmed that on page 13 of the guide. The new rule, printed in red, says, "Turtles taken from the wild cannot be sold, bartered or traded." After looking over the Ohio Revised Code, I was confused because there appears to be double-speak language that seems to allow exceptions for buying snapping and softshell turtle meat when accompanied with a detailed receipt from the seller. For the clarification, I relied upon DOW Law Enforcement Program Administrator, Leighland Arehart, to untangle the seemingly conflicting rules to me and how it applied to snapping and softshell turtles. He explained to me that recent wildlife management tools used for turtle conservation have included creating a defined season and size minimum size limit. The next step in species conservation is to de-commercialize them, as when market hunting of waterfowl was prohibited about 100 years ago when their populations were being negatively impacted. Heavy demand for turtle meat from China is leading to overharvest in some North American locations. The rule change was approved by the Ohio Wildlife Council during their meeting on October 22, 2025. The exception that allows turtle meat to be bought is for sales from propagators who commercially raise them. Snapping and softshell turtles with an 11-inch or greater carapace (shell) length remain legal to harvest from July 1 to December 31 with no daily limit. A valid fishing license is required. The deadline for trout fishing lottery at Castalia State Fish Hatchery is March 31. A half-mile section of Cold Creek at the Castalia State Fish Hatchery is open to successful lottery winners to fish between May 1 and Nov. 30. One season is available for adult anglers, and another for youth anglers between 4 and 15 years of age. Up to 98 adult and 86 youth permits are available. Individuals selected to participate may bring two adults and three children under the age of 16, no more than six people total. All anglers aged 16 and older in each group are required to have a valid Ohio fishing license. Anglers can apply on the Controlled Fishing Access Lottery page at wildohio.gov.