FISHERIES OF KEY WEST. 51 



There is but one dealer in Key West who buys green turtles, and 

 besides making shipments to the north he operates a small soup 

 cannery. 



The turtles are landed by fishing schooners known as " turtle 

 boats," most of which fly the British flag. As soon as they are re- 

 ceived in Key West the turtles are placed in a turtle crawl. This 

 crawl — the only one in this region — is an inclosure of about 40 by 70 

 feet, which is surrounded by palmetto logs placed close together in 

 water 15 feet in depth. It is divided into a number of smaller 

 crawls in order that the turtles may be separated into different size 

 groups. In these pens or crawls the turtles will live for a long time, 

 and there is practically no loss to the dealer through mortality. As 

 many as 800 turtles occasionally are held in captivity at one time. 

 Most of the turtles are landed during the spring and early sum- 

 mer, which is the egg-laying season. During May, 1919, five vessels 

 landed 1,250 green turtles in Key West, each cargo containing from 

 225 to 300 animals. Many more were received throughout the summer, 

 but by the end of November deliveries practically ceased. Very few 

 turtles are received from December to March, but a good supply is 

 kept on hand in the late fall to last throughout the winter. It is 

 estimated that 170,000 pounds of green turtles were landed in Key 

 West during 1919. 



To remove a turtle from the crawl, a loop of manila rope is 

 dropped into the water for the purpose of catching the flipper of a 

 turtle when the animals come to the surface to breathe. When a 

 flipper has been thus caught, the rope is at once made taut and several 

 men haul the turtle up to the dock, where it is turned over on its 

 back to prevent its escape and the rope is removed. 



Turtles that are used for canning purposes are slaughtered on the 

 turtle dock. Each day during the greater part of the year five or 

 six are killed at 3.30 p. m., at which time an inspector is present to 

 see that the butchering is done in a sanitary manner. No turtles are 

 killed until the desired number has been removed from the pens and 

 laid about 1 foot apart on the dock. Then one person takes a sharp 

 ax and strikes the head and four flippers off each turtle, going from 

 one to the other with great rapidity. In each case the appendages 

 are almost completelv severed, allowing the animals to bleed freely. 

 Immediatelv after the axman finishes, two men commence cutting 

 away the plastron and then remove the entrails. During the opera- 

 tion' sea water is thrown over the carcasses to wash away the blood 

 and slime. The edible portions of the turtle are removed in four 

 large pieces, each of which contains one of the flippers. The flesh 

 is cut away from the carapace and thrown into a barrel of sea 

 water, where it is thoroughly washed. It is then taken to the can- 

 nery, where it is hung on hooks and allowed to remain over night 

 for"use the next day. The following day a small portion of the meat 

 may be sold for local consumption, but the greater part is used in 

 preparing canned turtle soup. 



At least one prominent chef has stated that the carapace is one of 

 the best parts of th'e green turtle for the making of soup, but the 

 Key West cannery disposes of that part as well as the plastron and 

 entrails by dumping them into the sea some distance from shore. 



During May, June, and July the females contain eggs in various 

 stages of development, which greatly enhances their value, as there 



