MARINE TURTLES AND TERRAPINS 659 



the blood and slime. The flesh is then cut from the carapace, thrown into a barrel 

 of light salt brine where it is washed, and taken to the cannery where it is hung 

 up overnight before being used. The following morning a small portion of the 

 meat is sold to the public as turtle steaks and the remainder is canned as turtle 

 soup and turtle meat. 



The carapace is used by some canners in the preparation of soup stock. It is 

 first scalded in hot water to remove the outer protective plates, then cut up into 



(.Courtesy U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service) 

 Fig. 31—3. Green turtle trussed up ready to transport to market. 



pieces and boiled in a kettle of water until a heavy liquor is obtained. A small 

 amount of this liquor is added to each batch of soup as it is prepared. However, 

 a few canners and soup makers prefer a stock made from beef bones but the 

 turtle carapace is generally considered to have a superior flavor. Each canner has 

 developed his own particular recipe, the ingredients and proportions of which 

 he is very reticent about revealing. A small quantity of the soup stock is usually 

 added to each can of turtle meat before the can is sealed. 



During May, June, and July the females contain both mature and immature 

 eggs, and are greatly enhanced in value because of the demand for the eggs. The 

 white or mature eggs sell at a lower price than the yellow or immature eggs 

 which are sold by the pound and are considered a great delicacy. A female is said 

 to carry from 6 to 30 pounds of eggs according to its size and condition. The white 

 eggs are about the size of a golf ball and the parchment-like shells do not break 

 if dropped from a considerable height. 



Costa Rican Fishery. On the Costa Rican and Nicaraguan coasts the turtles 

 are captured principally when they come ashore at night to deposit their eggs. 

 "Turtling" is done before daybreak by men armed merely with lanterns. The 

 turtles are simply turned over on their backs, and are thus rendered helpless. 



When the beach has been thoroughly searched and all the turtles secured, the 

 captives are ingeniously made to transport themselves to the turtle launch or 



