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Whale-ista
Super Nomad
Posts: 2009
Registered: 2-18-2013
Location: San Diego
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Mood: Sunny with chance of whales
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Cabo Pulmo survivor, seen during my travels last summer.
\"Probably the airplanes will bring week-enders from Los Angeles before long, and the beautiful poor bedraggled old town will bloom with a
Floridian ugliness.\" (John Steinbeck, 1940, discussing the future of La Paz, BCS, Mexico)
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bajagrouper
Senior Nomad
Posts: 964
Registered: 8-28-2003
Location: Rincon de Guayabitos, Nayarit, Mexico
Member Is Offline
Mood: happy and retired
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Until the Pope declares sea turtles to be meat as opposed to fish all Latin Catholic countries will continue to kill and eat hundreds of thousands of
sea turtles during the Lent each year............
I hear the whales song
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
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Mood: Optimistic
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I have a few long ago memories of sea turtles.
Maybe the first time I personally saw turtles being caught for food was just offshore of Acapulco in 1961. Dad and I were on a charterboat
and heading out to the fishing grounds. First time experience for me and I was pumped up, believe me.
We were not that far out and underway at a pretty good clip, when the captain suddenly shouts and points to something. A deckhand then just leaps
overboard and quickly swims over to a large sea turtle and grabs it by the shell just behind the head, tilting it up and forcing it to swim back
towards our boat.
They pull it onto the deck and flip it onto its back. Captain says he is taking it home for his family to eat. It was left there in the sun to await
it's fate. It struggled and struggled with it's flippers to right itself, but couldn't do much. I stared at those soulful eyes for a long time and
felt bad for it. Somehow, it just didn't seem like a fair catch and after all, we were after sail and marlin. I guess Dad felt the same and went to
talk to the captain. Then the deckhand grabs the turtle and heaves it overboard. Dad had given the captain a hefty bribe to let it go, because he
didn't want to mar my first saltwater fishing trip with a bad memory. I realized from that day on that my father thought like me and vice-versa...an
amazing revalation for a 15 year old.. and made him bigger in my eyes than he was already.
Feelings aside...food is food, and I suppose the next charterboat to come along behind us gathered up that great dinner bonus of a sea turtle quite
smartly...business as usual with no gringo nonsense. 
Later on...in 1973 Baja Sur, my amigo Randy (far right) and I spent a long night shrimping with a trawler that had been anchored in Coyote Bay for a
couple weeks. We had made friends with them and got invited to join in the overnight catch. (Hint: If you do a trip like this, bring lots of air
freshener!)
This was a common sight when the nets were hauled...bycatch. In the mess of odd things caught were many types of young fish, now and
then a sea snake, deep water shells, small bottom sharks (bottom left) ...and sea turtles. There were two small Olive Ridleys under this mess and a
larger turtle laid on it's back. (upper left)
In the 70's turtle was served in many restaurants in Mulege..whenever they could get it. I could never eat it. Just me.
Then one Christmas we were invited over to the Diaz ranch in Coyote Bay for a community dinner. Well, I knew what to expect, because I had seen the
flipped-over live turtle there for some days already and politely told Manuel that I didn't eat turtle and would provide some other dinner treat. He
and his wife were gracious hosts and added my cooked cabrilla to the feast. We also had roast goat which was delicious...but I never could bring
myself to eat turtle...anywhere.
Maybe one day I will try some commercially raised alligator snapping turtle soup...I doubt I'd get the fuzzy feeling from them like I do when I come
upon a Ridley sea turtle swimming on the surface far out to sea.
Tortoises, on the other hand, are a different matter. Not a great starter out of the gate at our rodeos.
[Edited on 4-5-2015 by Pompano]
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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surfhat
Senior Nomad
Posts: 541
Registered: 6-4-2012
Member Is Online
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I have eaten turtle one time in the early eighties in Loreto in a turtle soup dish and it was tough and flavorless. I ordered it only as a curiosity
and always knew it was a one time only experiment, even at that time.
As a confirmation that I would never support any business that would provide such an offering after that point in time, I wish I had resisted the
impulse to try it, even if only for a one time only experiment in a culinary quest to try something new.
It is hard to fathom that this still goes on and those that do all they can to protect this species are owed all of our respect. From my years on the
east cape and seeing too many nests disturbed by poachers on the beaches, I always did what I could to hide any tracks that were left on the sand that
I could find before the locals had a chance to dig them up.
I guess there is a bit of hypocrisy that I tried it even that one time and for that I have always been regretful. These gentle sea creatures deserve
all of our respect and should never appear on any menu. 35 years and counting and it still resounds as a faulty decision to have ever order it. Going
forward I would hope that it would not be an issue these days and any Nomad would know better than I did all those years ago.
Live and learn is the best we can all hope for and I would never consider trying any so called 'delicacy' endangered or not, out of curiosity's sake,
since that time. In my defense, it was late at night after a long days drive and my mental ability to resist a new untried offering got the best of
me.
I well understand if this is no excuse to some but I don't believe at the time it was known to be especially endangered. I am sure whatever restaurant
offered it at that time no longer does so and I have always done what I could to disguise any nests I find on the beaches anywhere.
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Ken Bondy
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3326
Registered: 12-13-2002
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Mood: Mellow
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I have had many wonderful underwater encounters with sea turtles:
But the saddest was about 30 years ago in the Sea of Cortez (sorry about the image quality):
I was diving from the great old liveaboard boat Baja Explorador with my daughter Coleen off the north face of Isla Partida. At about 60 feet we came
across a large green sea turtle which was wedged into the rocks. Unfortunately it had died, unable to escape the predicament. From the appearance of
the body we could tell it had died very recently, so we told the Explorador crew about it when we returned to the boat. They got very excited and
three of them took a panga off to the site to look for the turtle. They found it and had a helluva barbecue for the crew that night.
carpe diem!
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vandenberg
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5118
Registered: 6-21-2005
Location: Nopolo
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Mood: mellow
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Tried it in the 70's both in Mazatlan and La Paz. Tastes like tough steak with a fishy flavor, not at all appetizing.
Don't believe it was on a protected list yet.
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Bob53
Senior Nomad
Posts: 661
Registered: 2-24-2014
Location: Fallbrook, CA & Bahia de los Angeles
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I've had it several times at Bahia de los Angeles back in the 70s when it was legal and common at the restaurants. I actually thought it was very
tasty. To me it tasted like a very good cut of veal. Very tender. I guess it all depends on who's doing the cooking.
[Edited on 4-7-2015 by Bob53]
The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64805
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Cruz Diaz (Papa Diaz's wife) was FAMOUS for her turtle steak dinners and pilots would arrive once the word got out about her planned dinner item.
It was served when my parents and I ate there in 1967 (I was not quite 10 years old) and do not remember it, or even if I was served any. We were the
rare guests who arrived by land instead of air.
The following photo and caption was taken by Desert Magazine editor Choral Pepper...
Turtle in Papa Diaz' pen, Bahia de los Angeles.
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durrelllrobert
Elite Nomad
Posts: 7393
Registered: 11-22-2007
Location: Punta Banda BC
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Mood: thriving in Baja
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FYI for next time
Quote: Originally posted by bajabuddha  | Had the opportunity to eat fresh-water snapping turtle in Kentucky back in 1972. Toughest part was butchering the damned thing... no one had, so we
worked our way through it and cooked what most looked like meat (messy things!) It was spectacular eating. NO, it didn't taste like chicken; more
like beefsteak.
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https://youtu.be/kvjAxhc9D3M?t=215
Bob Durrell
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Bob53
Senior Nomad
Posts: 661
Registered: 2-24-2014
Location: Fallbrook, CA & Bahia de los Angeles
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I've had many a turtle steak at the Diaz's back in the 70's.
The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.
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basautter
Senior Nomad
Posts: 862
Registered: 7-1-2013
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Once upon a time I am sure it was an important food source. Now I like to see them while on in/on the water and suggest fish, chicken or beef make a
better meal 
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güéribo
Nomad
Posts: 239
Registered: 10-17-2014
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| Quote: Originally posted by basautter | | Once upon a time I am sure it was an important food source. Now I like to see them while on in/on the water and suggest fish, chicken or beef make a
better meal |
I'll second that!
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Ken Bondy
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3326
Registered: 12-13-2002
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Mood: Mellow
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I had it once at Casa Diaz in the 70s and didn't understand the big deal people made of it. Then I saw the live animals in the pens behind the
restaurant and vowed to never eat it again. Kept that vow.
carpe diem!
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Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8084
Registered: 7-12-2004
Location: Bahia Asuncion
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Marvelous image Ken!
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durrelllrobert
Elite Nomad
Posts: 7393
Registered: 11-22-2007
Location: Punta Banda BC
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Mood: thriving in Baja
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The only time I tasted it I thought it tasted more like Spotted Owl than chicken
Bob Durrell
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Ken Bondy
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3326
Registered: 12-13-2002
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Mood: Mellow
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Thanks Igor! One of my favorites!! Cocos Island, Costa Rica, somewhere in the 90s 
carpe diem!
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