(Now that I have ample free time and internet access while on medical leave, I will continue to update this blog with stories from Aneityum and Vanuatu. I am tired of writing about parasites and swelling, but will continue to update this blog when I have major updates on my health and hopeful return to the island.)
The people of Aneityum love to eat sea turtles. It has been a part of their diet and custom going back thousands of years. All of the meat of the turtle is used, nothing goes to waste. In fact, fried turtle guts are considered a delicacy.
Many Westerners are offended by the practice of eating sea turtle. All species are listed as threatened or endangered, so many worry about the impact on the local population. Turtles already face a barrage of obstacles- including fragile ecosystems, loss of nesting territory due to seaside development and pollution.
The picture above was taken the first time I ever saw a sea turtle hunted on Aneityum. I admit, I was a little shocked if not disturbed when I witnessed this. Turtles are normally hunted with a spear. In this case, a man out spear fishing saw the turtle and shot it. Being an especially large turtle, he had to tie the rope which connected to the spear to an outrigger canoe. The turtle continued swimming, towing the canoe behind him, until he lost his strength.
Another technique for acquiring turtle is to have a scout sit in the front of a motor boat. Motor boats are not used often on Aneityum, as fuel is expensive and in short supply. But when they are used, they provide plenty of opportunities to encounter sea turtles swimming around the coral reef. When the scout sights a turtle, he dives into the water attempting to bear hug onto the turtle, spearing it or stabbing it with a knife until the boat returns and it can be hoisted in.
Turtles are challenging to hunt so they are not eaten often. Making an educated guess, I would say around 20 - 30 turtles are killed each year on Aneityum. Even so, the turtle population around the island seems to be thriving. I often encounter turtle myself when snorkeling out on the reef or just going in the water for a dip.
The picture above shows my friend Darao cleaning a sea turtle out on the reef. This is hard for me to watch. The turtle continues to look around and function even as it is cut into pieces and cleaned. It is impossible to put them out of their misery quickly, even cutting off their heads will not do the trick. They continue blinking and following you with their eyes for over an hour. It is eerie.
When the turtle is cleaned, it is often baked in its own shell over fire-heated stones. A large turtle provides meat for many families for several days. Meat and protein are hard to come by here, as I stated before. So if they did not eat turtle, they would not have meat many nights. It is not as if they have the option of driving to the local grocery store and buying beef or chicken.
I have eaten turtle on numerous occasions myself. The taste is unique but pleasing. If forced to describe it, I would say it tastes remotely like pork. The fried turtle guts are my favorite, much like a tastier form of bacon.
While I feel it is important to protect endangered species, it is not my place to lecture the people of Aneityum on something that has been a part of their culture for thousands of years. Especially when my own culture bears a huge responsibility for making these turtles endangered in the first place with mass fishing and development. The small amount of turtles harvested on Aneityum does not come near to the amount commercial fishing vessels in Vanuatu snag in their nets accidentally every day.