Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-18
BRING BACK THE TERRAPIN
BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN.

More than 500 diamond back ter
rapins have recently been released by
the United States Bureau of Fisheries
! in the waters of North Carolina, and
they will be followed by several thou
sand more In the next five years, in an
effort to revive breed of turtle which
is considered the most delicious entree
known to the connoisSeur. This once
plentiful delicacy has in recent years
become almost as rare as the buffalo
of the Western plains, and first-rate
Chesapeake Bay diamond. backs sell
at $50 or $50 a dozen. Only at rare
and expensive banquetS Is terrapin
served, and even at the high prices
they are usually only caught as an
incident in the fishing trade.
North Carolina has proclaimed a
| five-year closed season on fishing for
terrapin, and the mature stocks being
turned loose from the Bureau OF Fish.
cries hatchery at Beaufort, N. O.. will
have every opportunity to breed and
1 develop a considerable race OF terrapin
before fishing for them is again per.
mftted. 1t takes four years, and usu-
ally FIVE, for young terrapin to grow
to marketable stage and to become
reproductive. As the females are
larger and more valuable than the
males, it Is necessary to protect the
Il
OF chance to become numerous again
in the waters which 1t once inhabited
| in numbers.
Terrapin Rarely Seen Now.
Relatively few Americans of this
generation have ever seen or eaten
terrapin. Words may fail to describe
it's flavor, but its appearance Is that
| OF a small turtle, or inches
| long when marketable. The variety
| known as the diamond back, from its
markings, is really four or five kin.
dred species, found In the coastal
waters and tidal rivers Of Mary
land, Virginia, the Carolinas. Florida.
Louisiana and Texas The Chesa-
peake terrapin has been the best
known and most favored, the
Carolina variety slightly less so. the
| Florida diamond backs little known
| and of much less value. while those
Of the GUN States ar4almost as much
| In demand as the Chesapeake Bay
variety.
Although a hardy aquatic turtle in
1 his mature state, the terrapin goes
through a period OF youth when he is
| subject to many dangers, and it in
creases In numbers but slowly, and
decreases rapidly when freely sub.
| iect to mans attack. The Bureau OF
| Fisheries has been working expert.
mentally for go years with terrapin
at the Beaufort station, and now is
pretty well equipped with facts
about the laying of eggs, Matching,
care of young turtles. and otner
phases Of turtle life. II y constantly
making new experiments, crossing
the breeds, and learning new facts
| The scientists have not yet found out
| all they want to know, but they are
producing terrapins in quantity, ana
are ready to begin the stocking or
protected waters in the hope that q
steady restoration of terrapin life to
our coastal waters Is possible.
Al Terrapin Industry.
The Bureau Of Fisheries is also get.
ting ready to advise turtle farmers on
the possibility OF raising terrapins
commercially In captivity It Is not
urging anybody to go, into the busi-
ness, but is willing to show any
serious adventurer in this field exs
actly what It has done and is doing
AT beaufort. what IL costs to build
the pens. feed the turtles, and other
wise bring them up. Several private
efforts to raise terTapins have been
made, but none has ever succeeoed
on d commercial basis.
X
| frorited the Government experiment.
| ers may be realized by study Of the
habits of the terrapin. He lives both
| IN water and on land. The eggs are
laid I'M the earth or sand, and covered
i'm by the female, who leaves them
| Is their. fate. Late Spring and early
Summer are the laying season. III
about nine weeks the eggs hatch. ana
| the young terrapins come to the sur
face Of the ground and look about.
This IS ordinarily In September.
The young do not eat anything exr
cent the residue of their eggs until
cold weather approaches, and then
| they proceed to hibernate for the
| Winter. BY Spring they are no bigger
than when Matched, and are an easy
mark FOR any preyfng creatufe that
finds them. This long period Of
practical helplessness has been y
factor iii keeping down the supply.
One female may pr0duce ~ on S0
young each season, but not many of
these mature. In the Government
| hatchery the young are protected
and kept warm and fed the nrst M
ter, so that they do not hibernate. BY
spring they are fairly husky young
sfers.
Al terrapin pen reeds to have water!
and land surface, and preferably ~
built orit into salt water, 50 that ats
hifyll tide II is nearly all covered and
1T low tide Is half covered. Sand beds
TOR egg laying must be al the upper
end Of the pen. and at the lower end
constantly under water must b. IA;
ciiities for the mature turtles 70 HI
hernake under Mator IA Winter. The