1668

“Marine turtles are much rarer (than tortoises). They only come ashore at night on the western coast near St Paul and cover their eggs with sand in order to keep them from being eaten by pigs. In order to capture them we have to observe the time that they come out of the water and once they have come up a ways in the sand, overturn them with sticks placed under their stomachs [...] marine turtles are particularly good for scurvy sufferers. We have found up to 800 eggs as large as geese eggs, some ready to be laid and others without shells. They are very dry and not nearly as good to eat as hen’s eggs. Nevertheless the turtle is of great aid to the ship’s crew; they can be kept alive for two months just be wetting them down daily with salt water.”

“Sous le Signe de la Tortue”, A. Lougnon, Editions Azalées.

1669

“On the fifteenth of the month we lifted anchor off Saint Denis and headed off seven leagues to the inhabited place called St Paul in order to capture turtles and to salt them. This place called St Paul is where the turtles come to beach because of the sandbar (we captured...) 24 large live turtles, not to mention 30 or so that we had salted. One hundred men with good appetites could eat their fill with a single sea turtle.”

“Sous le Signe de la Tortue”, A. Lougnon, Editions Azalées.


In becoming food for the first colonists and sailors on island stopovers, the turtle populations suffered heavily. The attempts at controlling harvests did not compensate for the additional ravages committed on the nests by feral dogs, rats and pigs that arrived with the settlers. Later on the urbanisation of the coast ushered in the final disappearance of nesting turtles from the island’s beaches. Nesting became an exceptional event although turtles were still regularly captured at sea.

1690

A Regulation was introduced “for the good of the colonists (and for game protection)” which “prohibits (sic) hunting to one day a week for turtle meat” (Vauboulon)

1703

Governor de Villiers republishes an order that “turtle hunting shall be limited to once a week and without dogs”

1709

Governor Drouillard limits the capture of turtles at sea to two turtles per week.