Turtle Soup

by request from Marc, who wanted me to find out if they eat turtles here....

In accordance to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species , it is illegal to capture or trade turtles and or any products derived from them.  However, this was not always the case, and until September of 1993, when Barbados ratified the convention, fishing, capturing, and eating turtles was a perfectly legal and customary way of life.  In fact, local Bajans as young as 30 have shared stories of who made the best turtle soup and of how they used to love a good bowl.  Some will even admit to enjoying a delicious bowl in recent years with thanks to spear fishers who I am told, will, on occasion shoot at turtles. Others have blamed net fishing with the 'accidental' capture of turtles.  Either way, this ratified convention made leaps and bounds by way of protecting both the endangered Hawksbill and Green turtle found in the Bajam waters but it cannot and has not eliminated all illegal activity of the sort.
 
A few days ago, I was out snorkeling, oddly enough with turtles, when a boat of 2 fishermen approached me.  They were on route to haul up the nets and offered me the opportunity to see how it was done.  This sounding like much fun, I hopped on board and off we went.

Calbi, was an older man and the 'captain' who had been fishing with a net his whole life after his grandfather passed down the skill to him as a young boy.  Today, he fishes, makes nets, builds boats and sells his catch for a living.

The other local fisherman of the St. Lawrence Gap goes by the name of Shaggy.  He is in his late 30s, and has been reared for many years by Calbi as a fisherman.  He hulls traps, sets and pulls nets and takes tourists out on his boat to fish for a living.


I'll be honest, a man I rent from was the first to mention turtle soup to me.  Prior to this, I eagerly believed it was a fictional dish which I had only previously heard of as a child when I watched the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on television.   I guess I had just never asked anyone, but the thought of harming the peaceful turtles I swim and dive with was bothersome.  I guess it was different when they were not endangered. 

Approaching the net, I had many questions.  Using a net, cage, and rod, these two local fishermen did everything  but spear fish. Without mentioning  my personal views, I began to throw questions of turtles into conversation as we drove along in the boat.  I was told turtles were only ever caught 'accidentally' by one means of fishing- net.  However, due to where the nets are dropped and the fact that they are pulled and moved every 12 hours, if turtles are infact caught, they can be released without harm.  

As we went, we picked up two nets, dropped another checked the traps and returned to shore.  I returned the following morning at 6:30 to do the reverse, as they do each day.  I did not witness any turtles, but I did see how they fish with a net, many of the species they do catch with nets and a bit of the lifestyle of a Bajan fisherman.  As they keep their boat near to where I live, I hope to join them again, but not because they hunt turtles. 

***Video to come...technical difficulties...

Below is a version of what I wrote for a magazine in Barbados on turtles.  I will post the edited version when it is published in August.

With gorgeous marine life and coral formations to be found off the coast of Barbados, one cannot help but be fascinated with the tranquility and peacefulness of turtles and the excitement of finding one.  If you are a diver who thinks turtles can make any dive unforgettable, you are in luck, as many turtles from two different species surround Barbados and are not uncommonly found.

With the number of spotting, it might be hard to believe that the Hawksbill turtle is critically endangered.  However, perhaps it is the Barbadian enforcement of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, which makes it illegal to capture and trade these turtles or sell products derived from them, which allows their presence to seem plentiful. 

The Hawksbill turtle can grow up to 3 feet in length and average 180 lbs in weight, with the largest ever captured weighing in at 280 lbs.  You can know you have spotted one by their distinguishing features.  As their name implies, the Hawksbill turtle has an elongated tapered head which ends in a beak like mouth.  Their beak is more sharply pronounced and hooked than others and their arms have two visible claws on each flipper.

In contrast to the second species of turtle found off the coast of Barbados, the Green Turtle, has a small snout with an unhooked beak and a single claw on each front appendage.  The average Greet Turtle can grow to 5 feet long and weigh between 150-420 lbs.

The Green Turtle’s name derives from the green fat found beneath its caraspace.  It has a teardrop shaped shell and inhabits shallow lagoons with feeding off mostly sea grass.  While it can live up to 80 years, this turtle too is endangered and made illegal to collect, harm or kill, protecting is existence in Barbados.

If you love spotting and swimming with turtles when you dive, be sure to dive in Barbados, where a vast array of both species can easily make any dive experience seem almost unbelievable.