Turtles and their eggs

Science Commentary 9

Harvesting turtle and turtle eggs is something that has been done on the islands for a very long time, as they are a valuable source of protein and fat. There used to be rules about when to harvest eggs (early in the season in March and April), and how to get permission to take turtle (by taking them to Mogmog to be blessed and shared through a ritual). These older traditions helped to manage populations of these large and valuable animals, and make sure there were enough for the future.

For example, when female turtles come to the beach to lay eggs, some will come early in the season, then more will come in May and June (most), and then fewer in July and August (when babies will hatch). Many of the turtles coming in May and June will dig up the nests of the ones who came earlier, and many of those eggs will not live. So if people take eggs early in the season, many of those eggs would not have lived anyway, so the eggs may as well be eaten by the people! Taking eggs all summer will not be so good for the population of turtles, because many of those eggs would have hatched into babies, sustaining the population.

Having to take adult turtles all the way to Mogmog by canoe required time and effort for the people catching them. It also meant that everybody knew how many were being caught and by whom. This helped control the number of turtles that were caught. This helped to manage the population of turtles, as well as large fish like swordfish, large grouper and Napoleon wrasse (Maaem) which were divided through the same ritual. The story of Filtey introduces young people to the tradition of taking turtles to Mogmog.

Nowadays, some turtles are not brought to Mogmog, and eggs are taken all summer. This means that the turtle population might not be as strong (there may not be as many) for future generations. It is the job of everyone here today to make sure there is food and resources for the people of tomorrow!