Toggle Sidebar
‘Hail to the queen’: Saving the Caribbean queen conch
[Many thanks to Peter Jordens for bringing this item to our attention.] Gisele Galoustian (Florida Atlantic University) highlights Dr. Megan Davis’s extensive research into the science and art of growing queen conch and her collaboration with Conservación ConCiencia in Puerto Rico to assist with stock enhancement fisheries of the conch.
With an estimated lifespan between 25 to 40 years, the queen conch (
Strombus gigas) is a prized delicacy long harvested for food and is revered for its beautiful shell. Second only to the spiny lobster, it is one of the most important benthic fisheries in the Caribbean region. Unfortunately, the species faces a challenge of survival: how to endure and thrive, as populations are in a steady state of decline from overfishing, habitat degradation and hurricane damage. In some places, the conch populations have dwindled so low that the remaining conch cannot find breeding par
Loading video.
VIDEO: Video shows the various developmental stages of the queen conch from eggs to larvae to tiny juveniles in a controlled environment and later in the wild in the Caribbean. Second. view more
Credit: FAU s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute; Michiel van Nierop; and Bo Boudart Production.
With an estimated lifespan between 25 to 40 years, the queen conch (Strombus gigas) is a prized delicacy long harvested for food and is revered for its beautiful shell. Second only to the spiny lobster, it is one of the most important benthic fisheries in the Caribbean region. Unfortunately, the species faces a challenge of survival: how to endure and thrive, as populations are in a steady state of decline from overfishing, habitat degradation and hurricane damage. In some places, the conch populations have dwindled so low that the remaining conch cannot find breeding partners. This dire situation is urgent in ecological and economic terms.