 As a noted Japanese biologist pointed out in 1904, the Japanese variety of this turtle, which at time was classified as "Trionyx japonicus", occupied a place in Japanese cuisine as esteemed as the diamondback terrapin in the United States or the green turtle in England.The farming of this "luscious reptile", known in Japan as "suppon", was already developed on an industrial scale in that country by the late 19th century.Due to rising demand and overhunting, the price of "Pelodiscus sinensis" in China skyrocketed by the mid-1990s; large-scale turtle farming in China and neighboring countries; raising this species by hundreds of millions was the response, with prices soon returning to a more affordable level.