Mauritius - St Brandon

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In Mauritius, reference to ‘Les Iles’ means the St Brandon Archipelago, also known as the Cargados Garayos Islands. These lie 395km northwest of Mauritius, forming an arc from south to north, its convex side facing towards the east. There are 22 low-lying islands, parts of which are sometimes submerged, as well as numerous reefs and sandbanks. The largest of the islands are named Cocos, Albatross and Raphael, which is the administrative centre and home to a privately owned commercial fishing station.

From 1546, the islands were shown on Portuguese charts as São Brandao, which is puzzling since St Brandon is an Irish saint. The Portuguese also called them Cargados Garayos, deriving the name from Coroa dos Garajãos, meaning ‘reef of seabirds’.

The islands abound with birds and in the past guano was the main export. In 1862, cotton was tried, without success. Cyclones, problems with fresh water, and the harsh conditions of life (no women) also affected the islands’ development. Since the 1830s, the richness of the fishing grounds has been exploited and in 1910 there were 100 fishermen based in the islands.

Fish is salted and dried for export to Mauritius. Fishermen are engaged by the Outer Islands Development Corporation, which manages St Brandon, on a four to six months’ contract. Their working day begins at dawn and by 07.00 they are at sea. After they have returned with their catch, the fish have to be gutted, cleaned and put in the salt beds.

The fishermen, several dozen of them from Mauritius, Rodrigues and the Seychelles, lodge in barracks. Raphael (Establishment) Island has a modest chapel, a house for the administrator and his staff, a hangar for the salt fish, a community hall and a shop.

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