POSSESSION

1.  It is unlawful to take or possess the threatened Western River Cooter, Pseudemys gorzugi

2.  It is legal to import virtually any species with a ClassII importation permit

3.  See below for annual bag limits of species.

4.  Any person in possession of the annual bag limit or more than the annual bag limit of wild-caught reptiles shall be deemed to possess these individuals for commercial purposes and be required to have a commercial collecting permit.

5.  Wild caught turtles for personal use may not be sold.

TAKING FROM THE WILD

1.  New mexico residents are not required to have a hunting or fishing license to collect non-protected species for non-commercial purposes. Non-residents are required to have both a non-resident hunting license and a commercial collecting permit for collecting any species.

2.  It shall be unlawful to exceed the annual bag limit of any species of amphibian or reptile listed on the Director’s Amphibian and Reptile List for the current license year. It is assumed the bag limits would apply to the non-commercial take as well as the commercial take.

3.  Annual bag limits for native turtles are:

• Snapping Turtles Chelydra serpentina 20
• Painted Turtle Chrysemys picta 5
• Ornate Box Turtle Terrapene ornata 10
• Pond Slider Trachemys scripta 20 (Pecos river and its tributaries – unlimited elsewhere)
• Yellow Mud Turtle Kinosternon flavescens 20
• Sonoran Mud Turtle Kinosternon sonoriense 5
• Smooth Softshell Apalone mutica 5
• Spiny Softshell Apalone spiniferus 10

Any turtle not listed is unlawful to take

4.  Turtles may be taken by hand, Seines, cast nets, and dip nets.

5.  It is unlawful to take all free-ranging, native reptiles species that are Federal or State listed as threatened or endangered. Only state species is the Western River Cooter, Pseudemys gorzugi

COMMERCIAL

1.  It is unlawful for any person to take free-ranging, native reptiles in New Mexico for commercial purposes without purchasing and having in possession a valid commercial collecting permit. In addition, nonresidents must purchase and also have in their possession a nonresident hunting license

2.  A commercial collecting permit entitles the holder to collect, sell, barter or profit from wild caught reptiles.

3.  Any person in possession of the annual bag limit or more than the annual bag limit of wild-caught reptiles shall be deemed to possess these individuals for commercial purposes. In addition, any person in possession of more than 50 individuals with unlimited take, shall be deemed to possess these individuals for commercial purposes.