"Rahui"
Ethnozoology: For centuries Polynesian Islanders have been managing our natural resources. Many of the atolls are very isolated and so our food has mostly come from the ocean or what we grow, especially coconuts.
Our traditional approach in the Cook Islands is to use Rahui: we open or close a resource for harvesting ~
when closed it is 'tapu' to take it. The aim of this is to ensure that we always have a food supply available.
It's not exactly the same as 'conservation', but the results are similar: we live sustainably...
It's a lesson the industrialised world should learn!

Each Island Council decides which resources need protecting or managing ~ so it's a very local system. It suits us and our needs. On some atolls they eat a lot of seabirds; so at times this will be 'tapu' allowing the birds to breed. The clam 'pasua' is another example: we usually close its harvest for 18-24 months,  open it for one week. Most families will have someone on the Council, so once the issues have been debated & agreed, it means that we all abide by the ruling.

People do eat turtles. We like them. Living on a remote atoll is not the same as living in a city: here
we have very little, so we take what we find [our nearest supermarket is 1400 kms away]. Honu's  team works closely with the Councils to find a sustainable way for this. Mostly it was the nesting females that were killed on the beaches ~ this is very easy! BUT ~ no females then no more eggs or baby turtles!
We will find a way.