Turtle (Cheloniidae)
Turtle
Selection
Turtles are prohibited from being hunted in some jurisdictions under conservation efforts to protect the species from becoming extinct.
Storage
Stored live by turning on their backs.
Preparation
- Cut off the head to kill.
- Separate the skin from the edges of the shell and over the legs.
- Cut off the feet and through the bridges of the upper and lower shells.
- Remove the lower shell and intestines with a knife or saw.
- Cut meat from four quarters of the top shell.
- Can be broiled over open fire, stewed, or made into soup.
- Eggs can be boiled or scrambled.
- (Rody, 1982)
Photo Source
www.dnr.state.md.us
Turtle
Turtle meat and eggs are sometimes eaten in Pacific Islands. Two common varieties are the 1) green turtle (Chelonia mydas) and the 2) Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata). Check with the local government fishing authority or chief before catching them as the green and Hawksbill turtles are endangered and critically endangered respectively (Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources – Marine Mammals and Sea Turtles; Mortimer & Donnelly, 2008; Rody, 1982; Seminoff, 2004).
Traditional Names
- Chamorro – haggan
- Chuukese – pwaapwa
- Hawaiian – honu
- Kosraean – ngoe
- Marshallese – won
- Palauan – uel; melob 1; ngasech 2
- Pohnpeian – wehi
- Samoan – laumei
- Yapese – woonge