Last month, fishermen caught 44 of the mighty amphibians in rivers feeding the local Lake Inba, and the environment ministry has taken a total of 3,000 into captivity so far. But scientists say this isn't enough. Biologist Hideaki Kato of Shizuoka University says: "By the time an increase in the population of snapping turtles is noticed, it is likely to have done considerable damage to the ecosystem already". He thinks authorities should focus on destroying the turtles' eggs - they lay 20-30 a time, The Japan Times reports