Irene & Turtles: The Hatteras 1, 2 Punch

[Since72]

Defined as.....Turtle farming is the practice of raising turtles and tortoises of various species commercially. Raised animals are sold for use as gourmet food, traditional medicine ingredients, or as pets. Some farms also sell young animals to other farms, either as breeding stock, or more commonly to be raised there to a larger size for further resale.
Turtle farmers worldwide raise primarily freshwater turtles (primarily, Chinese Soft-shelled Turtles as a food source and Sliders and Cooter Turtles for the pet trade); therefore, turtle farming is usually classified as aquaculture. However, some terrestrial tortoises (e.g. Cuora mouhotii) are also raised on farms for the pet trade.
It is believed that there have only been three serious attempts to farm sea turtles. Only one of them (in Cayman Islands) continues, with a strong tourism component. The one in Australia's Torres Strait Islands folded down after a few years of operation,[5] and the one in Réunion has been converted to a public aquarium (French: Kélonia).

Even the potentially appealing concept of raising turtles at a farm to release into the wild (as done with some numbers of sea turtles at the Caymans establishment) is questioned by some veterinarians who have had some experience with farm operations. They caution that this may introduce into the wild populations infectious diseases that occur on the farm but have not (yet) been occurring in the wild.

So open your turtle farm.

[Time2Travel]

I have no plans to open a turtle farm. Just used it as an example for those that are concerned about sea turtle populations as a way to increase numbers without raising the cost of seafood. I'm not a turtle hater but as best as I can tell all they do is mildy contribute to global warming (because all mammals exhale CO2) and they poop in the water and on occasion they come ashore to lay eggs. They aren't vital to the food chain, they don't prey on any pest that I'm aware of so basically they just "exist" which is fine and I hope they continue to but if they disappeared tomorrow nothing would happen. The planet would just chug along like it has in the past. No apocolype, no earthquakes, no drama. Just life as we know it now.

I would however like to know if I could get a permit to put a few in my salt water aquarium, seeing how they are endangered and all I think it would be kinda cool to save a few from those seagulls. That turtle joint over there at Topsail (pronounced Top-sul for you transplants) has found a legal way to keep sea turtles in captivity and I want in on it. Maybe I'll start a giant turtle aquarium, charge admission to the tree huggers and get rich.

[Since72]

Bad thing is. If the turtles go you might lose for those tourist dollars. A turtles do serve a purpose.
1. Sea turtles enjoy immunity from the sting of the deadly box jellyfish and regularly eat them, helping keep tropical beaches safe for humans.
2. Sea turtles, especially green sea turtles, are one of the few animals that eat sea grass. Sea grass needs to be constantly cut short to help it grow across the sea floor. Sea turtles act as grazing animals that cut the grass short and help maintain the health of the sea grass beds. Sea grass beds provide breeding and developmental grounds for numerous species of fish, shellfish and crustaceans.
3. Beaches and dune systems do not get many nutrients. Sea turtles use beaches and the lower dunes to nest and lay their eggs. Dune vegetation is able to grow and become stronger with the presence of nutrients from sea turtle eggs, unhatched nests, eggs and trapped hatchlings. As the dune vegetation grows stronger and healthier, the health of the entire beach/dune ecosystem becomes better. Stronger vegetation and root systems helps to hold the sand in the dunes and helps protect the beach from erosion
4. Beach towns, such as Tortuguero, Costa Rica, have transitioned from a tourism industry that made profits from selling sea turtle meat and shells to an ecotourism-based economy. The Caribbean Conservation Corporation began working with villagers to promote ecotourism as a permanent substitute to sea turtle hunting. Sea turtle nesting grounds became sustainable. Since the creation of a sea turtle, ecotourism-based economy, Tortugero annually houses thousands of tourists who visit the protected 22-mile beach that hosts sea turtle walks and nesting grounds.

So let's see that turtle that does nothing. Plays a larger role to you think.

[Bill Hitchcock]

Would you be so kind as to substantiate your claims.

[Bill Hitchcock]

A bit two faced, don't you think?? Save a turtle. Kill a lobster.
Sea Turtle Hospital Annual Lobster Dinner and Auction | The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center

[Since72]

Originally Posted by Bill Hitchcock

A bit two faced, don't you think?? Save a turtle. Kill a lobster.
Sea Turtle Hospital Annual Lobster Dinner and Auction | The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center

It is okay Bill. They are eating a product that is fished as regulated as flounder. So, no worries nothing two-faced there. Just legally enjoying the food for the sea.

[Since72]

Originally Posted by Bill Hitchcock

Would you be so kind as to substantiate your claims.

I try not to get to long on this. But one of the leading research unit at Sea World. Yes they have the shows but, do a lot of research in this area. Hope this works for you.
SeaWorld/Busch Gardens ANIMALS - HOME
FOOD PREFERENCES AND RESOURCES
1.
Depending on the species, sea turtles may be carnivorous (meat eating), herbivorous (plant eating), or omnivorous (eating both meat and plants). The jaw structure of many species is adapted for their diet.


2.
Green sea turtles have finely serrated jaws adapted for a vegetarian diet of sea grasses and algae. As adults, these are the only herbivorous sea turtles.


3.
Some species change eating habits as they age. For example, green sea turtles are mainly carnivorous from hatching until juvenile size; they then progressively shift to an herbivorous diet.


4.
A hawksbill has a narrow head with jaws meeting at an acute angle, adapted for getting food from crevices in coral reefs. They eat sponges, tunicates, shrimps, and squids.


5.
Loggerheads' and ridleys' jaws are adapted for crushing and grinding. Their diet consists primarily of crabs, molluscs, shrimps, jellyfish, and vegetation.


6. Leatherbacks have delicate scissor-like jaws that would be damaged by anything other than their normal diet of jellyfish, tunicates, and other soft-bodied animals. The mouth cavity and throat are lined with papillae (spine-like projections) pointed backward to help them swallow soft foods.

7. Researchers continue to study the feeding habits of flatbacks. There is evidence that they are opportunistic feeders that eat seaweeds, cuttlefish, and sea cucumbers.

8. In a zoological environment all sea turtle species can be maintained on a carnivorous diet.

[Bill Hitchcock]

Your long winded response didn't address any of the issues from your prior post.

Sea turtles keep the beaches safe from jelly fish?
Bunk
(bet you didn't know that fish like Spadefish Loooooove jellyfish and will consume a jellyfish faster than a 4 year old with a chocolate chip cookie)

Sea grass needs to be constantly cut short?
Bunk
(I'd love for you to show one shred of evidence that here in North Carolina that destroying sea grass is advocated or is in anyway beneficial)

Dune vegetation is growing stonger due to turtles?
Bunk
(Huh-what about the destruction they create in crawling and digging?)

Eco-Tourism-I'm all for it. It marries well the other industries.

Hyperbole and conjecture but never fact. It's a trademark of folks of your ilk.

So, no worries nothing two-faced there.
Tell that to the Lobster.

Since 72-Still waiting for your response to the questions I asked you earlier such as have you ever read the turtle lawsuit? Do you know the parties involved and their intent? have you ever read the ESA? and so on.

Thought you might like to read the following from the commercial side.
Editorial

Data, not fantasy

I read a National Geographic piece by Lee Crockett this week (Overfishing 101: It Ain't Over Till It's Over) in which he warns against our inclination to proclaim an end to overfishing in the United States, as the latest NMFS data does not remove every species it studied from its "overfished" and "experiencing overfishing" lists.

I will try not to get too sidetracked in the semantics of the NMFS listings, which allow species to be called overfished — even when they've never been targeted by fishermen (in short, glossing over other factors that influence marine species) — for the sake of brevity.

We certainly don't have a perfect fishery management system or a miraculous turnaround in every species NMFS monitors annually. I find it hard to accept that perfection is the goal, as I can't imagine it's the goal of any other government agency or industry.

What we have achieved, however, is an industry culture that strives to keep commercial species healthy and improve management year over year. That may not be specific enough for some, but it is working. We may not have ended overfishing, but we most certainly have put a stake through the heart of the trends that led to it in the first place. We have turned the ship around.

With our course set on improving fishery management, data and gear, we have established an effective management system. If we choose to ignore common sense and good data and instead focus on a mythical perfect balance, we will all lose access to our national resource — commercial, recreational and charter.

No one can say what "balance" means in a world that is constantly changing of its own accord. We can only speculate on what is out of balance.

The trap of "best available science" is essentially a loophole that leaves all the onus on the fleets, whether or not they are to blame.

We have Magnuson mandates that specify rebuilding time lines. But where is the mandate that we must have current data on species in order to rectify their perceived condition?

The true critical step in improving fishery management is improving data and expanding the lines of communication between fishermen and regulators, not simply relying on whatever information we have because that's all Magnuson requires us to do.


Thank you for your time.
Jessica Hathaway
Editor in chief, National Fisherman
National Fisherman - Search our commercial fishing news, marine directory and classifieds


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[Since72]

Well that is a first. I an sure the board police warned you like they did me. ... But, I guess I should not go there.

Originally Posted by Bill Hitchcock

Your long winded response didn't address any of the issues from your prior post.
How so. Gave you the information from a well respected research group. So what issues? It is the information. I guess you know how to search. It's easy.


[

As for the other item. I did not read the lawsuit. To be honest most lawsuits are a one sided opinion. That only ties up the courts and make lawyers rich. Yes the rule of law applies. Just like tobacco. Smoking can kill you, you make a choice, you die, relatives sue, they win. Why??? You are smart enough to function in daily life you make a choice. Your fault. So lawsuits really mean nothing to me. I will say I have no direct interest in if a turtle lives or dies. Same thing for the flounder. And yes lobster too.