Turtle oil soap

[El Graduado]

Found this bar of turtle oil soap for sale in Cozumel recently. Took me back to the old days when black coral and turtle oil were the two mainstays of the Cozumel souvenir trade. I dedicated a substantial part of one chapter in my book, Natural History of Cozumel, to the Cozumel turtle trade. Did you know the trade in turtle meat, eggs, and oil was still legal in Mexico up until 1990? The critters made an amazing comeback. Kinda like the Cozumel crocodiles.

 

[Okcdiver2]

My freinds said they used to give turtle oil to the kids when they had a cough. They havent seen it in a long time.

 

[El Graduado]

 

[jbjclj]

On our first trip to Cozumel in 1979 on the slow old boats, the deck hand used a barbed hook to snare a loggerhead and drag it to the boat. They were all excited. I think we all cried.
Times were very different

 

[ggunn]

When I first went to Cozumel in 1978, many restaurants there featured turtle steak. It was yummy.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Found this bar of turtle oil soap for sale in Cozumel recently. Took me back to the old days when black coral and turtle oil were the two mainstays of the Cozumel souvenir trade. I dedicated a substantial part of one chapter in my book, Natural History of Cozumel, to the Cozumel turtle trade. Did you know the trade in turtle meat, eggs, and oil was still legal in Mexico up until 1990? The critters made an amazing comeback. Kinda like the Cozumel crocodiles.


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If it hasn't been legal for 2 decades, how is it that the soap is available for you to purchase?

 

[BRT]

If it hasn't been legal for 2 decades, how is it that the soap is available for you to purchase?

It is possible that "turtle oil" soap and "black coral" necklaces have the same active ingredient.

 

[El Graduado]

If it hasn't been legal for 2 decades, how is it that the soap is available for you to purchase?

What a good question! It has been three decades now that turtle products have been banned in Mexico. So, how do they do it?

If you go to Rocher ’s website, you will find the turtle soap (and oil) featured for sale. I am including an image from their website below. What it says in Spanish, is: “We are the only ones authorized because our pure Si. 100% turtle oil dates from before the prohibition” and below that: “*this product will only be available until supplies are exhausted.”

What does this mean? They want you to believe that their supply of “turtle oil” was all purchased legally prior to 1990 and that they have a legal right to sell it until that pre-1990 supply is all gone.

That may or may not be true, (probably not) but as I read their promotion, it does not matter. It does not look like the soap contains any oil rendered from sea turtles. What they did was, they snuck in those two letters and a period, “Si.” (“aceite puro Si. 100% Tortuga”). What that weird twist of the Spanish language and abbreviation means to me, is that they are really selling “Tortuga brand 100% pure silicone oil”.

 

[The Chairman]

Wow. I haven't eaten sea turtle since the late sixties. I still eat cooter.

 

[El Graduado]

Wow. I haven't eaten sea turtle since the late sixties. I still eat cooter.

I reprinted a hundred-year-old turtle recipe in my book, Natural History of Cozumel. Works for cooters, too.