660 MARINE PRODUCTS OF COMMERCE 



schooner which cruises along the coast at a safe distance offshore; this is accom- 

 plished by fastening to one of the turtle's flippers or front legs a piece of strong 

 line about 10 feet long, to the other end of which is attached a float or buoy of 

 balsa wood. The turtles are then turned over on their bellies and allowed to 

 scramble off into the water; they of course promptly head for the open sea, but 

 being hampered by the wooden float make slow progress. When they have cleared 

 the surf, the floats are picked up by the turtle boat. The lines are hauled in and 

 the turtles at the other end are hoisted aboard by means of block and tackle. The 

 turtles are then brought to port where they are placed in crawls or pounds and 

 kept until marketed. 



The average green turtle catch is about 750 per year, and about the same 

 number of hawksbill turtles are taken. Green turtles are shipped to New York, 

 Key West, Colon, Panama, Kingston, and Jamaica; the Caribbean islands of San 

 Andres and Providence (belonging to Colombia) are also important markets. 

 The average weight of a female green turtle is about 200 pounds; but they are 

 taken at all weights from 100 to 500 pounds, and in 1945 they sold for approxi- 

 mately 80 cents per pound. There is a greater demand for females than males, 

 and the greater portion of all the turtles shipped are females. Turtle meat is always 

 obtainable in the local markets. The meat is known as "calipash," which is the 

 fatty greenish flesh from the belly; the meat is also dried and, more rarely, smoked. 



The Hawksbill Turtle Fishery 



The chief source of tortoise shell is the shields of the carapace of the hawksbill 

 turtle {Chelonia imbricata) . This turtle is the smallest marine turtle and seldom 

 reaches a length of more than 30 inches although 34-inch shells have been found. 

 It may easily be distinguished from other marine turtles by the arrangement of 

 the shields of the carapace which coarsely overlap like shingles. These shields are 

 transparent and are beautifully mottled black or brown and yellow. The shields 

 of the head and limbs are brown or black tinged with pale yellow about their 

 margins. Thirteen plates cover the carapace, 5 occupying the center and 4 on 

 each side. These overlap each other to nearly Vs of their whole size. The plates on 

 the larger turtles measure approximately 8 by 13 inches and weigh about 9 ounces. 

 The carapace also has 12 pairs of marginal shields, which form a strongly serrated 

 sharp edge on the posterior half of the shell. The small marginal shields and the 

 plates of the plastron are inferior in value to the larger shields. 



These turtles are found in nearly all parts of the tropical and semitropical seas. 

 The best grades of tortoise shell are obtained from the Eastern Archipelago in 

 Pacific waters, particularly from the east coast of the Celebes group to New Guinea. 

 Large quantities of these turtles are also taken in Brazil and in the West Indian 

 Islands, but the shells obtained are considered less valuable. 



Manufacture of Tortoise Shell. The shields are removed from the shell of the 

 live or freshly killed turtle either by immersion in boiling water or by heating 

 over a hot fire. Tortoise shell is worked in the same manner as horn; but, since it 

 is more costly, greater care must be taken in its treatment. When the plates are 

 first removed, they are keeled and curved and irregular in form. They are first 

 flattened by heat pressure. As high heat tends to darken the shell, the shell must 

 be treated at as low a heat as possible. Tortoise shell can be welded when hot 

 by pressing the pieces together in a vise. The heat softens and partially liquefies 



