sanctuary that extends from Bogue In- 

 let to New River Inlet, the only 

 sanctuary like it in the nation. The 

 waters in this area are closed to shrim- 

 ping from June 1 to September 1, 

 beginning this year. The sanctuary ex- 

 tends 3 A mile seaward, except along 

 Bear Island and northern Onslow 

 Beach, where it only extends 1000 feet 

 offshore. Fishermen expressed little 

 opposition to the plan after the com- 



Turtles, tears 

 And tall tales 



For the ancient Hindu philosophers, 

 the world began with a gigantic sea 

 turtle, swimming in an endless ocean 

 with four colossal elephants on its 

 back. Upon the elephants' backs rested 

 the earth. 



With a legacy of about 150 million 

 years, sea turtles have had plenty of 

 time to kindle the imaginations of man 

 in folklore and fantasy. 



Even Alice in her trek through Won- 

 derland met a part-turtle, part-calf 

 creature calling himself Mock Turtle. 

 Mock Turtle sobbed constantly, but, 

 in nature, it's the female turtle that 

 sobs. All mother turtles cry as they lay 

 their eggs — not from pain or distress, 

 but only to wash the salt from their 

 eyes. But, legend has it that the sea 

 turtles were once land creatures 

 banished to the sea because of some 

 misdeed. Now, the story goes, as the 

 females return to the land to lay their 

 eggs, they cry because they, and even- 

 tually their young, must return to the 

 sea. 



Another tale frequently told about 

 loggerhead turtles is that they nest on 

 the full moon. The turtles will actually 

 nest under any phase of the moon, ac- 

 cording to those who have spent time 

 watching for the reptiles. More likely, 

 it's the people who are more active on 

 the full moon. 



Speculation has always abounded 

 about why the sea turtles nest when 

 they do. In Costa Rica, on the beaches 

 of Tortuguero where green turtles nest 

 in large numbers, Jack Rudloe turned 

 up a legend among the Costa Ricans 

 about a turtle rock. In his book, Time 

 of the Turtle, Rudloe tells the story 

 about a rock, shaped like a turtle with 

 a head and flippers, buried in the cave 

 of a mountain. For most of the year 



mission reduced the closed area just off 

 Bear Island, a prime shrimping 

 ground. 



Frank Schwartz, who requested the 

 sanctuary's designation, says that clos- 

 ing the areas to shrimpers means more 

 turtles are likely to make it to the 

 prime nesting beaches the sanctuary 

 protects. 



If a dead turtle does wash up on the 

 beach, federal officials want to know 



Drawing by Tina Bromberg 



the turtle rock faces the ocean. But 

 during June the rock turns and faces 

 the land as a signal for the turtles that 

 it is time to nest. In September the 

 rock revolves again — nesting is over. 

 Some of the natives claim to have seen 

 the rock, while others say the turtle 

 rock is just a myth passed down from 

 earlier generations. 



Another yarn that has been more 

 widely broadcast is that of the sea tur- 



about it. You can report the stranding 

 by calling a toll-free number (1-800- 

 327-6545). 



More and more steps are being 

 taken to protect sea turtles as more 

 people realize their plight. State and 

 federal fisheries officials are hoping 

 their efforts to aid the sea turtles will 

 help to cast away some of the gloom 

 surrounding their future. 



tie egg being an aphrodisiac. A market 

 once thrived on selling the eggs to 

 stimulate sexual appetites. But the 

 legend has no truth and probably 

 originated because turtles lay so many 

 eggs. 



So many questions linger about sea 

 turtles that it is sometimes hard to 

 sieve the fact from the fiction. If the 

 sea turtle does carry a world on its 

 back, it is a world of mystery. 



Carrying the world on its back, this fictional sea turtle swims forever. 



