Evidently, tens of thousands were slaughtered, with estimates ranging from 3,000 to 150,000. These days, very few sea turtles are intentionally slaughtered on the islands, but the other threats that the turtles are facing will have to be countered if the population is to be restored to its former level. The drastic reduction in egg production that the PCP found several years ago is certain to be a result of the many threats that the turtles faced over the years, as well as the long-term effects of the rampant slaughtering of nesting females in the past and the very heavy exploitation of eggs that still occurs on the islands. A single female green turtle can potentially lay thousands of eggs during her lifetime, so the loss of reproducing turtles is especially important for the future of the population. The full impact of such loss may not be seen for years, however.
Turtles are an important component of our marine ecosystems and have great economic value.
In the end, we may never know the price that we are paying for past indiscriminate exploitation.