Rachel L. Carson
904 Highland Drive
Silver Spring, Md.

## TERRAPIN FARM ACHIEVES LARGE SCALE PRODUCTION OF EPICUREAN FOOD

by R. L. Carson

Although diamond-back terrapin, traditional repast of Marylanders with epicurean tastes and well filled pocket books, may never become a market staple, there are indications that the supply will increase rather than decline in future years. The world's largest farm for the production of this renowned salt marsh turtle recently announced a record hatch of young for the 1938 season. After carefully digging up the sand beds in which the adult terrapins deposited their eggs last summer and counting the newly hatched young, the staff of the Government operated hatchery at Beaufort, North Carolina marked up 13,600 additions to its thriving stock. These potential terrapin dinners will be cared for under protected conditions during the winter and next spring will be set free in salt marshes along the coasts of half a dozen states.

Since terrapin culture was undertaken by the United States Bureau of Fisheries nearly thirty years ago at its island laboratory, a total of 128,000 young have been produced. Some of these have been added to the brood stock, which now numbers approximately 2,600 terrapins. The majority, however, have been used to restock the coastal marshes.

At one time diamond-backs were abundant along the greater part of the Atlantic Coast. Their former local abundance may

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be inferred from an entertaining bit of Maryland history. In pre-Civil War days, contracts for the leasing of slaves bore the stipulation that the slaves should not be fed on terrapin oftener than three times a week. Such a provision was necessary because terrapins were so plentiful and cheap that, unless restrained, the temporary master would feed his leased slaves on this rich food, not three times a week but perhaps daily.

So greatly was the supply of these slow-growing, long-lived turtles reduced by relentless hunting that the children and grandchildren of these same slave owners paid from $60 to $75 a dozen for choice terrapins in the '20's. The catch in Maryland declined from 30,000 pounds in 1880 to 823 pounds in 1920. Fishermen in the former year received 13¢ a pound; in 1920, $1.20. All signs seemed to justify the prediction that the terrapin would speedily share the fate of the dodo.

Lloyds, Maryland was the scene of early experiments by the Bureau of Fisheries in the propagation of terrapins. Here, in 1904, a large wooden pound was built, providing facilities for both young and adults. Experimental work was continued at Lloyds until 1909, in which year operations were transferred to Beaufort.

The country about the southern end of North Carolina's broad Pamlico Sound is flat, much of it being given over to sluggish creeks, broad tidal estuaries of rivers, grassy marshlands. It is ideal terrapin country. The Bureau of Fisheries' hatchery, operated in connection with its scientific laboratory,

occupies a small island just off the town of Beaufort, protected
from the South Atlantic rollers by the sheltering arm of Shackle-
ford Banks.

After crossing the narrow bridge from the mainland, visitors
discover the concrete turtle pens built side by side at the water's
edge. Each encloses an area of about 300 square yards, houses
several hundred terrapins. A constantly renewed supply of sea-
water is provided by gates in the outer walls. The upper end of
each pen, however, is a dry, clean bed of sand over which only
the highest tides pass.

Prominently displayed on some of the pens are signs asking
the visitor not to disturb the terrapins. At first he may see
none to disturb, until he realizes that the greyish figures pro-
truding slightly from the water or moving briskly about in it
are the heads of swimming terrapins. Others may be sunning them-
selves in the sand close to the walls of the pen.

At feeding time attendants bring buckets of chopped fish,
menhaden or other "scrap fish", and empty them out above the
water line. The terrapins immediately leave the water, greedily
sort over the pile of fish, and selecting pieces return to the
water to eat them.

To see the egg-laying activities, the Beaufort hatchery
must be visited between mid-May and early August. Working ind-
ustriously with her hind feet, the female terrapin scoops out a
hole in the sand some 5 or 6 inches deep. She lays about 8 eggs,

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then covers them with sand, completely refilling the hole. A female may lay once during a season, or as often as three, four, or (rarely) five times. Terrapins known to be at least 40 years old are still producing broods of young each year.

Deep in the warm sand the eggs, about the size of a pigeon's, begin development. If all goes well, the young will emerge from the shells in about 90 days. Any of several mishaps are possible. Another nest-making terrapin may dig up the eggs and break them. Prolonged high tides may flood the beds for over-long periods, causing the eggs to rot. Rates will go to great lengths to gain access to terrapin egg beds, even entering water if necessary.

A surprisingly high percentage of the eggs escape all hazards, however, and yield young terrapins at the expected time. Beginning about the middle of August a few young, a little more than an inch long, may be seen crawling about. To locate all the young in the fall, however, it is necessary for caretakers to dig up the sand bed with their hands. This is commonly done twice in the fall, and a final check is made in the spring for the few which may have been overlooked.

In nature, hatching is but the prelude to a long winter's sleep into which the baby terrapins go without having so much as tested food. The young of wild terrapins either remain in their nests in the fall or soon burrow into the mud, becoming completely dormant with the approach of cold weather. The remnants of the egg yolk, now enclosed within the stomach, apparently supply barely enough food to support life during the winter.

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In the spring the young are weak and emaciated, and probably are actually smaller than when they were hatched.

Nature's rather haphazard method is vastly improved upon in the scientific procedure developed at Beaufort. After being collected in the fall, the young are taken into heated rearing houses and taught to eat almost at once. After a preliminary period of feeding and careful attention to get the terrapin babies into the best possible condition, they are put in XXX protected outdoor pens to hibernate. With this method more than 98 percent of a brood have been grown to suitable size for distribution.

In the spring the young terrapins are brought back into the rearing house and fed finely chopped fish or oysters. Early in the summer they are distributed throughout the South Atlantic region in cooperation with state conservation departments.

Although no Beaufort terrapin have as yet been liberated north of Virginia, a substantial number of diamond-backs are now shipped to Baltimore markets from the Carolinas. In spite of the boasted superiority of Chesapeake terrapin, one of the leading Baltimore dealers declares that it is quite difficult to distinguish good quality Carolina terrapin from the native variety, unless one is an expert. With the influx of acceptable terrapin from the south, prices once obtained for prime Bay specimens have not been maintained.

Choice Eastern Shore terrapin now bring in Baltimore retail markets from 50¢ to $2.50 apiece; in Washington up to $4.00

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Terrapin from the Gulf have always been considered of inferior quality, and very few now arrive in Baltimore, shippers finding it unprofitable to pay the high expressage.

In Maryland catches of terrapin are usually incidental to oystering, crabbing, or other fishing in shallow brackish waters. Fishermen put the terrapins into "corrals" or pounds, feed them, protect them against lurking thieves, and keep them for marketing at a favorable time. Demand is greatest about the holidays.

Laws adopted by the Maryland legislature about ten years ago, imposing a minimum size limit and a closed season to protect terrapins during the nesting period are generally credited with raising the abundance locally. The state catch (all of which comes from the Eastern Shore) amounted to 5,800 pounds in a recent year.