The aim of this article is to compare two extremes of approaches taken to turtle culture projects. At one extreme is the capital-intensive operation aimed at realizing a profit, e.g., that of Mariculture Ltd. on Grand Cayman Island. At the other end of the scale is the small, village-industry operation which has been tried or is still being tested in several developing regions. While commercial viability may also be an aim of this latter approach, other considerations seem to be important in assessing success, e.g., the provision of employment.