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2 years ago in Environmental History , Maritime History By Akash
Can you point me to any historical references or accounts of turtle hunting from the 1700s?
My research involves human interaction with marine ecosystems. I've found material on whaling, but references to large-scale turtle hunting—particularly for green turtles in the Caribbean or elsewhere—seem scattered in logbooks, travelogues, or colonial records. I need help locating these specific historical traces.
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By Sonali Jain Answered 1 year ago
Yes, references are plentiful but require digging into specific archives. From my experience, you should examine ship logbooks from ports like Bristol or London, which often note turtle catches as fresh provisions. The writings of naturalists like Hans Sloane in Jamaica or William Dampier are key. For the economic angle, consult colonial office records in the UK National Archives regarding the turtle fishery. I would also recommend the work of historian Jennifer Anderson, whose book on the mahogany trade touches on turtle hunting as part of the Caribbean extractive economy. These sources vividly document scale and methods.
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