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BETHLEHEM --
Nine diamondback terrapins seized from a local Asian food market are being
held in two large plastic tubs at the state wildlife pathology lab in
Delmar pending an investigation into their origins, state wildlife
pathologist Ward Stone said Monday.
The saltwater turtles are valued in traditional Chinese culture for
their reputed medicinal value as a treatment for acne and cancer when
consumed as a soup or broth.
Department of Environmental Conservation enforcement officers seized the
turtles at the Asian Food Market on Colvin Avenue
on Friday.
The reptiles, whose coastal habitat ranges from Cape Cod
to Texas, are classified as a
species of concern in New York.
Since 1990, it has been illegal in the state to harvest them during their
spring and early summer nesting season or to sell any individual animal
shorter than 4 inches or longer than 7.
"Our regulations were passed because we did not know how large the
harvest was, but we did know a large number were being sold in the fish
markets," said Alvin Breisch, the DEC's
amphibian and reptile specialist.
Only two people reported catching terrapins last year, Breisch said. Because the number of turtles appearing
in New York markets is
hundreds of times greater than the reported catch, it is assumed the
animals are being imported from other states or taken without a permit.
The terrapins confiscated in Albany
on Friday were all well over 7 inches, Stone said.
He said three of the nine females now at his lab have tags that he
believes were placed on the shells as part of a research project in Maryland.
If that is the case, he said, they will be inspected for any pathogens,
returned to Maryland and
released into the wild. The other animals will either be used for research
or donated to a zoo.
"I'm not sure what will happen to them," Stone said. "But
they will not be sold and eaten by people."
During a visit to the Asian Food Market on Monday afternoon, a milk
crate contained about a dozen turtles that appeared to be diamondback
terrapins for sale at $5 each. Most of them were longer than the 7-inch
limit. When asked about the turtles, people working at the market said they
were not able to comment.
Terrapin soup was popular in stylish New York
restaurants in the 19th century, but the species was decimated by the 1920s
and the item disappeared from menus. After that, the reptiles, which live
in saltwater bays and estuaries, made a slow comeback in New
York.
Famous for their big eyes and colorful shells, their popularity as pets
and food has exploded over the past decade, leaving conservationists and
government officials concerned for their future.
According to the Terrapin Institute, a nonprofit research group based in
Maryland, the market for
terrapins in the Northeast has grown 400 percent over the last decade.
Faced with loss of habitat and lethal threats ranging vehicles to pollution
to boat propellers, the population is again at risk.
Steve Chan, owner of the Plum Blossom restaurant in Troy,
recalled eating turtle soup at his parents' home as a teenager to treat his
acne. He said some Chinese people believe the soup also has the ability to
fight cancer and increase people's longevity. "Because the turtle can
live so long, they might hope to live longer. It's an older generation
thing," Chan said.
Stone's concern about the sale of turtles also extends to human
consumption and interaction with the turtles because it is unknown what
diseases they carry or what chemicals they have been exposed to. They are
known to prefer the warm waters discharged by industrial and power plants.
Terrapins are also popular among animal lovers who buy and then release
them to the wild, but Stone said they are rarely put into an environment
where they can survive and they are an ideal carrier of diseases that could
harm other species living in those areas.
McDonald can be reached at 454-5441 or by e-mail at
cmcdonald@timesunion.com.
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