50 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



Stone crabs do not live long out of water and on a warm day 

 probably would not survive more than several hours. When dead 

 they deteriorate very rapidly, and in preparing them as food they 

 should by all means be killed in the cooking process. Stone crabs, 

 however, can be held in captivity for a long time, as a number were 

 retained in pens at the Key West biological station for over two 

 years, when they were finally lost in a hurricane. 



TURTLE FISHERY. 



Key West is one of the principal markets for marine turtles in 

 the United States. Three species are seen in the markets — the green 

 turtle {Chelonm onydas)^ the loggerhead {Thalfissochelys caretta)^ 

 and the hawksbill {C. imbncata). 



The green turtle is by far the most inif)ortant, the loggerhead is 

 considered inferior and is eaten only by the fishermen, while the 

 hawksbill is scarce and used only for its shell. Most of the turtles 

 are brought in by foreign boats, making Key West principally a 

 receiving station from which the turtles are forwarded to other mar- 

 kets in this country. 



The green turtle inhabits the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, 

 its preference being for the tropical and subtropical parts, although 

 it sometimes strays to the northern part of the Temperate Zone. 

 It is found in greatest abundance about the island of Ascension, the 

 W^est Indies, and the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua, between latitudes 

 11° 30' and 14° 10' N. 



The three external characteristics by which the green turtle may 

 be distinguished from the loggerhead are the front flippers, head, 

 and coloration. The green turtle has but one nail on each of its 

 two front flippers, its head is considerably smaller than that of the 

 loggerhead, and the color of the carapace or back is not uniform 

 but may be a mixture of olive, olive green, and brown, which is 

 usually mottled or streaked with yellow, somewhat resembling that 

 of the hawksbill. Pleasing designs are often found, although the 

 carapace is not used commercially in Key West. The under parts 

 are pale yellowish. The turtle gets its name from the green color 

 of its fat. At the present day the maxinmm size is 4 feet, with a 

 weight of about 500 pounds, but examples weighing over 300 pounds 

 are seldom taken. In its natural habitat this turtle is herbivorous, 

 feeding on algse and turtle weed, but in captivity it is said to show 

 a preference for fish. 



The egg-laying period is from April to July, at which time the 

 female leaves the water to deposit her eggs on a sandy beach above 

 the high-water mark and in a locality that receives the sun's rays. 

 With her flippers she scoops a hole in the sand, 12 to 18 inches in 

 depth, and after depositing her eggs replaces the sand, instinctively 

 leaving the nest almost undetectable to the eye. This is accomplished 

 by crawling over the freshly filled-in sand and blinding her trail 

 so that the identity of the act is lost. A female is said to deposit 

 about 100 or more eggs in a nest and to repeat this act two or three 

 times during the several months of the egg-laying period. Many 

 turtles are captured after they have come ashore to lay their eggs. 



