Diamondback Terrapin

The Town of Kiawah Environmental Committee is sponsoring a community effort to help the rare diamondback terrapin. Terrapins are the only turtle that lives in the saltwater marshes. One of the biggest threats to terrapins is accidental drowning in recreational crab traps. A device, known as a Bycatch Reduction Device (BRD), can be installed into the openings on a crab trap to dramatically decrease the likelihood of this occurring. Research has also shown that crab traps outfitted with BRDs actually catch more crabs. BRDs are currently being used in a number of coastal states, including Maryland, Florida, Louisiana and Alabama.

During the spring breeding season, terrapins are more susceptible to drowning in crab traps. Male terrapins are actively searching for females and it is possible for a large number of males to follow a single female into a crab trap. The Town of Kiawah encourages property owners and visitors to utilize BRDs, and now is the time to have them installed.

If you already own a crab trap, you can bring your crab trap to the Heron Park Nature Center to be outfitted free of charge with BRDs. Traps should be clearly labeled with your name & phone number and can be dropped anytime. Please call the Heron Park Nature Center at 768-6001 and a mutually convenient time will be arranged.

If you are planning to purchase a crab trap, ask your vendor if they have traps already fitted with BRDs.

Terrapin Research Project Information

Terrapin numbers have declined dramatically throughout their range in recent history. Kiawah has been a focal point for terrapin research over the last 20 years. Researchers, including Dr. Whitfield Gibbons (Savannah River Ecology Laboratory) and Dr. Michael Dorcas (Davidson College), have been capturing and marking terrapins in Kiawah creeks since 1984. Their research has shown a marked decrease in terrapin numbers and a shift toward an older age structure with more females than males. These data suggest that young turtles and males are suffering high mortality. This is consistent with the type of mortality one would expect to see from drowning in crab traps. Adult Males and young turtles are much smaller than adult females and are able to enter crab traps easily, while adult females cannot.