BajaNomad

TURTLE HARVEST, 1965

Vince - 1-22-2012 at 06:20 PM

The locals took turtles to survive on in the early days. Here is Manuel Diaz in the early '60's in Conception Bay. In the '50's we used to see gigantic trucks on their way to Tijuana, full of turtles. Manuel would keep a few tied up on the beach, in the water until he needed them.

Ateo - 1-22-2012 at 07:34 PM

I'm taking a lot of chit for my baby lobster picture and you seem to be doing just fine with your turtle shot. What gives?

Just kidding. :O

Thanks for the photo and tidbit of history.

woody with a view - 1-22-2012 at 07:40 PM

that's why there are very few turtles left. give it another 45 years and a lobster will cost $250 at Pnuevo, if they can get them.:lol:

Floatflyer - 1-22-2012 at 09:28 PM

What is the point of this? Slaughtering turtles to survive? What is next, making heros out of those that virtually eliminated bison or killing off fisheries for dog food? :no:

Vince - 1-22-2012 at 09:47 PM

It's just history. Deal with it. He took only what they needed to survive. The trucks were the commercial people that thinned out the turtles.

LancairDriver - 1-22-2012 at 10:38 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Floatflyer
What is the point of this? Slaughtering turtles to survive? What is next, making heros out of those that virtually eliminated bison or killing off fisheries for dog food? :no:


Hey, maybe if we never mention Buffalo Bill's name ever again, the history books can be re-written so that period of history never happened.:lol::lol:

MMc - 1-23-2012 at 01:15 AM

Taking turtles to survive? They just were easier then anything else. I can still go live off the ocean most places and never kill a turtle. They were slower and easy, hence on the table as dinner.
When the clams are severed as dinner it's because I am having pasta with them not because it's the best I can do. Killing a large beast and not being able to harvest and store it is wrong. Eat a couple of trigger fish or a sandy.
MMc

Russ - 1-23-2012 at 06:46 AM

Some how I remember my first time to Tortuga, 1968, and there were mountainS of turtle shells on the beach. I also remember that turtle lotion was in great demand north of the boarder then.

[Edited on 1-23-2012 by Russ]

Osprey - 1-23-2012 at 07:33 AM

Not to worry. Skeet will tell you there are still plenty of turtles out there. Here's some I sold for aquariums last year.


Naw, just kidding. This is part of the 13,000 saved and released on our beach last year -- dug up, put in a secure nursery then released 600 at a time when the birds were sound asleep and no bait around to eat em as they swam away from the beach.

baby turtles.jpg - 34kB

Pompano - 1-23-2012 at 08:11 AM





Vince, your historical photos of Coyote Bay are priceless. I'm glad you went to all the work to find and downsize them. Keep it up, amigo.I know you have many more.

I personally know of the love and care, that you, and your brother Pat, have for the environment and wanted to convey that here to educate a few who would wrongly 'shoot the messenger'.

Pre-development Baja (before the highway) was a far different time. All l Nomads would have marveled at this magical place.

DianaT - 1-23-2012 at 08:29 AM

I really enjoy seeing the historical photos---thank you very much and for posting them and you are very fortunate to have them.

Protecting the turtles today is a good thing and I hope many of those babies run quickly and live a long life.

History is not always pretty and if anyone ever pays attention, they can learn from it.

THANKS and keep the photos coming!
Diana

[Edited on 1-23-2012 by DianaT]

wessongroup - 1-23-2012 at 08:40 AM

Sure glad some folks took the extra time to snap a pic.... great stuff.. time travel..

Thanks for sharing ... love the old ones... too

Brings back some nice thoughts of many moons ago... :):)

SFandH - 1-23-2012 at 08:41 AM

Looks like the harvesting is still happening. It's stated in the following study that 5 BCS poachers interviewed recently ARE taking over 6400 turtles per year, just 5 guys. See the Results section on page 5.

Interesting study. Another tidbit is two poachers were interviewed that stopped because they felt sympathy for the animals.

Good men!

Warning! Vegan pitch ahead - Folks, stop killing/eating animals. You'll be glad you stopped. The behavior will catch on.

http://gerberlab.faculty.asu.edu/wordpress/wp-content/upload...


[Edited on 1-23-2012 by SFandH]

watizname - 1-23-2012 at 10:25 AM

We're all to blame for the decreasing resources. When I was in gradeschool [a long long time ago] I remember a teacher telling us that the good old US of A had such a great abundance of natural resources that we would NEVER run out. Also if I remember correctly, in 1965 the limit of Trout in the Sierras was still about 15 per day, and if your went deep sea fishing, you could put 30 hooks on, fish in 150 feet of water and keep all the fish you could carry off the boat. Guys had 12inch extensions on their reels to increase the leverage so they could wind up 40 or 50 lbs of fish or more at a time. I seriously doubt if the fish and turtles taken by the Mexican fishermen went to waste, as intimated by MMC. I think the local families just ate a little better for a few days. It was also stated that Manuel kept a few tied up for when he needed them. Sort of like range fed cattle huh? We can't fault the old ways, we can just hope we learn from them before it's too late.

Barry A. - 1-23-2012 at 10:28 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by watizname
We're all to blame for the decreasing resources. When I was in gradeschool [a long long time ago] I remember a teacher telling us that the good old US of A had such a great abundance of natural resources that we would NEVER run out. Also if I remember correctly, in 1965 the limit of Trout in the Sierras was still about 15 per day, and if your went deep sea fishing, you could put 30 hooks on, fish in 150 feet of water and keep all the fish you could carry off the boat. Guys had 12inch extensions on their reels to increase the leverage so they could wind up 40 or 50 lbs of fish or more at a time. I seriously doubt if the fish and turtles taken by the Mexican fishermen went to waste, as intimated by MMC. I think the local families just ate a little better for a few days. It was also stated that Manuel kept a few tied up for when he needed them. Sort of like range fed cattle huh? We can't fault the old ways, we can just hope we learn from them before it's too late.



Very well said!!!!!!

Barry

Pompano - 1-23-2012 at 10:31 AM

Indeed! Bravo, watizname.

[Edited on 1-23-2012 by Pompano]

baitcast - 1-23-2012 at 10:36 AM

It hasn't stopped just yet,its a generation thing.my daughters enjoying a invite from the late PaPa Fernandez for turtle tacos.

I was lucky enough to go with PaPa and his son on several turtle hunts. note the shell on the table.

Vince - 1-23-2012 at 10:57 AM

These old photos really get us thinking about conservation, maybe I can find some more...........

Papa Fernandez 1994

David K - 1-23-2012 at 02:24 PM

Papa Fernandez and Baja Nomad 'Desert Rat' in 1994:


Turtles BOLA

desertcpl - 1-23-2012 at 02:56 PM

Brings back memories about my fishing trip to BOLA

it was about 1975 or close to it
me and a friend was fishing the bay in my Panga, it was in Aug, ( yea hot )
we was staying at Villa Vitta Motel, had a great restaurant and big swimming pool
each day after fishing we would come back and take some fish to the cook for him to cook for dinner, each dinner was served with a platter of Turtle steaks, fresh home made tortillas, refried beans, cervezas
the Turtle steaks was to die for, we ate so much we could hardly walk back to our room,, it was so good, even the way they made the fish

[Edited on 1-23-2012 by desertcpl]

Lee - 1-23-2012 at 07:16 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by watizname
It was also stated that Manuel kept a few tied up for when he needed them. Sort of like range fed cattle huh? We can't fault the old ways, we can just hope we learn from them before it's too late.


The same could be said about the slaughter of whales in the ''old days'' at Scammons.

Does poaching today demonstrate lessons learned or more ignorance?

Don't fault ignorance? More PC blather.

ddawson - 1-23-2012 at 08:05 PM

I think the historical pics are great. Thanks for sharing!!

mcfez - 1-23-2012 at 08:30 PM

Thanks folks for sharing those GREAT vintage photos. I await for more...without the office politics.

watizname - 1-23-2012 at 09:07 PM

Damn, where's my harpoon, I gotta go do me some poachin. No more PC blather for me.
But seriously, I really like the old photos. Thanks.

Lee - 1-24-2012 at 09:10 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by watizname
It was also stated that Manuel kept a few tied up for when he needed them. Sort of like range fed cattle huh?


Like to see Manuel tied up -- along with the poachers. Like range fed cattle? Little butter, little garlic. Yum.

There's a comparison: cattle and turtles.

bajaboolie - 1-24-2012 at 10:00 AM

Somehow I knew this would be the picture that would get the most buzz. :lol: I really love these old pictures you are posting, Dad. You sure did have a lot of fun before I was born. I'm just glad you continued the fun and introduced me to Baja!

Bob H - 1-24-2012 at 10:39 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by DianaT
I really enjoy seeing the historical photos---thank you very much and for posting them and you are very fortunate to have them.

THANKS and keep the photos coming!
Diana

[Edited on 1-23-2012 by DianaT]


What photos? I only see one...

wessongroup - 1-24-2012 at 10:45 AM

Know what ya mean "T" ... but, that historical thingy ... makes me feel really old,,, :lol::lol: a softer "vintage" kinda makes me feel a little bit better... :biggrin::biggrin:

[Edited on 1-24-2012 by wessongroup]

David K - 1-24-2012 at 11:35 AM

Bob, perhaps she means to include the other photos Vince has posted in other threads... as I did when I thanked him a few days ago for them?

watizname - 1-24-2012 at 10:39 PM

I don't think that in 1965 Manuel was poaching turtles. I think he was making sure his family had food for the times when the wind blew for days or the weather was so bad for an extended period that they couldn't get on the water. After all,that was their lively hood, fishing. Can't see tying him up for that. Or calling him ignorant. Seems to me he was doing what needed to be done for him and his family to survive.
The cattle/ turtle comparison was just used to illustrate the fact that we confine OUR food sources as well. Those steaks and hamburgers don't just appear at the market. I really didn't think I had to explain that. For the record I don't condone poaching, or the wholesale slaughter of whales. Can I be clearer Lee?

baitcast - 1-25-2012 at 08:36 AM

There was no poaching in 65 only a way of life,everyone eat and hunted turtle,it was a business nothing more nothing less,fisherman hauled their turtles to market as they would like anything else.

Having no refrigeration they would keep them alive for days until they had enough for a haul,in the north it was San Felipe where they had large holding pens.

Barbecued turtle steak was to die for:lol:
Rob

Lee - 1-25-2012 at 01:46 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by watizname
I don't think that in 1965 Manuel was poaching turtles. I think he was making sure his family had food for the times when the wind blew for days or the weather was so bad for an extended period that they couldn't get on the water. After all,that was their lively hood, fishing.

Can I be clearer Lee?


If this were black and white, you'd be right I'd be wrong.

MMc - 1-25-2012 at 02:32 PM

Watizname, The caption is what I don't understand. There has always been a bounty of things to catch and eat there.
I don't have any issue with what took place a long time ago. We used to pour oil on dirt roads is to keep the dust down. We learn and change.
Sorry, if I wasn't clear in my post. MMc

watizname - 1-25-2012 at 02:54 PM

Change for the better is good. All I was tryin to say in the first place.