Bookmarks

• 
  McCarthy Album 11, Photograph 113

  Remove

  Caption: "Turtle Pens -- Key West. July 2, 1934." View of turtle kraals, or turtle corrals, used in the turtle fishing industry in Key West. Green turtles were kept in these pens prior to slaughter or transport. Turtle meat and eggs were popular food items in the early-to-mid twentieth century; turtle fat was especially prized for making turtle soup. However, the turtle population plummeted in the Florida Keys and surrounding areas as the twentieth century progressed and demand increased. The turtle kraals and nearby canneries closed when the Endangered Species Act was passed in 1971. Populations have since started to recover. The cannery near the kraals shown in this photograph now serves as the Key West Turtle Museum.

  Date: 7/2/1934