Île Raphael Explained

Île Raphael is an island in the Saint Brandon archipelago, a group of 30 outer islands of Mauritius.^[1] The island is named after Veuve Raphaël.^[2] Veuve Raphaël's husband was a sea captain^{[3] [4]} and had installations on the corner of rue (route) des Pamplemousses and rue Fanfaron in Port Louis. Captain Raphaël travelled regularly to Île Raphael, St Brandon from Port Louis and, on 17 May 1816^[5] and November 1817,^[6] is on record as bringing back salted fish (Poisson Salé^{[7] [8]}) on a Lugger called 'Le Cheriby' ('angel' in old French). Île Raphaël is today the headquarters and principal fishing base of the Raphael Fishing Company which is the second oldest commercial company in Mauritius.

Population

Today, Île Raphael's population amounts to around 40 people and constitutes the majority of Saint Brandon's entire resident population. Some employees of Raphael Fishing Company stay and work on the island for periods of up to seven months, depending on the season.

Key Biodiversity Area

In 1968, the island was visited by the Mauritian scientist France Staub and his seminal work called Birds of the Mascarenes and Saint Brandon was partially based on his experiences here. In the Chapter (7) called Seabirds of Saint Brandon, Staub lists breeding seabirds and determines that Saint Brandon then had amongst 'the largest colonies in the world of Sooty Tern'.^[9] This island is located on the Cargados Carajos coral reef atoll system, part of a CEPF designated Key Biodiversity Area (KBA)^[10] in the Southwest Indian Ocean. The Cargados Carajos are closely skirted by busy Southeast Asian shipping lanes (North and South of the Archipelago) making its unique ecosystem vulnerable to a variety of risks which pose threats to its long-term existence as a Key Biodiversity Area.^[11]

Ongoing and future threats include: -

• (i) Rust & heavy metal seepage from existing shipwrecks^{[12] [13] [14]} into coral reefs.^[15]
• (ii) Seepage of rust and heavy metals from future shipwrecks^[16]
• (iii) Spillage of petroleum/ heavy oil as a direct consequence of new shipwrecks^[17]
• (iv) Cyclones and high winds up to with associated flooding.^[18]
• (v) Tsunami, potentially from any future earthquake in southern Sumatra to the East and, speculatively, from the Reunion Hotspot inter alia
• (vi) Outbreaks of disease and importation of Invasive Alien Species (IAS) into its globally unique flora and fauna.^[19]

See also

• Mascarene Islands
• St Brandon
• France Staub
• Avocaré Island
• L'île du Sud
• L'île du Gouvernement
• Permanent grant
• L'Île Coco
• Raphael Fishing Company
• Mauritian Wildlife Foundation

Notes and References

1. Web site: Île Raphael . 21 December 2022 . ile archipel.
2. Web site: Point 5 In 1820 the then Governor General of Mauritius granted jouissances in respect of the five groups as follows. He granted to Ozile Majestre alone a joussance exclusive over one group, the Iles Boisées, and to two individuals, Ozile Majestre and Dominique Bétuel, jouissances en partage over another group of six islands (Petits Foux, Lavocaire and four others). He granted three further jouissances exclusives to respectively M. Burceret (La Baleine and l'île aux Cocos), Mme. Veuve Raphaël (l'île Raphaël) and Mr William Stone (Ile Veronge and Ile aux Bois). All these jouissances were unlimited in time. . 17 December 2022 . vlex.
3. Book: Jean-Marie Chelin . Histoire Maritime de L'ile Maurice . 9789994902316 . 142 . 30 August 1817 . (...) et Le Lougre, Le Cheriby, Capitaine Raphael pour St Brandon.
4. Book: Jean-Marie Chelin . Histoire Maritime de l'Ile Maurice 1816 -1817 . 21 October 1817 . Imatech . port louis . 163 . French . 25 October 1817 . Le Lougre le Cheriby, Capitaine Raphael, parti de St Brandon avec une cargaison de poisson sale.
5. Book: Chelin, Jean Marie . Histoire Maritime de L'Ile Maurice 1816 & 1817 Marine et Commerce . Jean Marie Chelin . 2016 . 9789994902316 . Tamarin . 17 May 1817 . 107 . Fr.
6. Book: Chelin, Jean-Marie . Histoire Maritime de l'Ile Maurice 1816 et 1917 . Jean-Marie Chelin . 2016 . 9789994902316 . Mauritius . 169 . French.
7. Book: Chelin, Jean Marie . Histoire Maritime de L'isle Maurice (1816 & 1817) Marine et Commerce . Jean Marie Chelin . 2016 . 9789994902316 . Tamarin, Mauritius . 174 . French . 1817 . Poisson salé de St. Brandon à 6 piastres la livre le cent. S'adresser chez Mr. Raphael, rue des Pamplemousses au coin de celle du Fanfaron.
8. Web site: Rougaille poisson salé . 2023-01-18 . eBox . en.
9. Book: Seabirds of Saint Brandon. 1976 . 103. English . Breeding Sea Birds of the Mascarenes and Saint Brandon.
10. Web site: [St Brandon. It is the most important KBA of the Republic of Mauritius in terms of marine biodiversity.pp 194 |website=www.saflii.org|access-date=25 September 2022].
11. Web site: Impact of a shallow shipwreck on a coral reef: A case study from St Brandon's Atoll Mauritius. researchgate.net. 24 November 2022.
12. Web site: Alam Manis Runs aground in St Brandon. . Shipwreck Log.
13. Web site: f/v Kha Yang aground, salvage under way. FleetMon.com. 12 Dec 2022.
14. Web site: TEAM VESTAS WIND. Team Vestas. 12 December 2022.
15. Web site: Naufrage du Yu Feng N°67 à l’île du Sud à Saint-Brandon. www.lemauricien.com. 15 December 2017.
16. Web site: Impacts of a shallow shipwreck on a coral reef: A case study from St. Brandon's Atoll, Mauritius, Indian Ocean. Science Direct. 12 December 2022.
17. Web site: Naufrage du Yu Feng N°67 à l’île du Sud à Saint-Brandon. www.lemauricien.com. 15 December 2017.
18. Web site: The archipelago is often affected by tropical cyclones with high waves and tsunami additional hazards due to the islands' being low-lying.. Government of Mauritius. 13 December 2022.
19. Web site: St. Brandon Island is the nesting ground for two species of endangered marine turtles. UNDP. 13 December 2022.