AD 2017 Q1

LIFE AQUATIC
CONCH
From left: Fisherman load a pickup truck with a large
catch of conch. They will crack the animals out of
their shells at the roadside to sell to tourists and
locals. Humans aren’t the only species that enjoys
eating conch.
Chicago, Ill., have taken surveys of middens over
many years, and according to their chief scientist,
Allan Stoner, Ph.D., “[T]he conch collected by fishers
are younger than in decades past; approximately 80
percent of the conch harvested in recent years were
too young to reproduce.” Are conch numbers falling as
a result? “In the last two years, only the Jumentos Cays
had adult densities consistently above the threshold
of 100 adults per hectare [the density recommended
by the Queen Conch Expert Panel (CFRM, 2012) for a
sustainable fishery],” he said. “We found the minimum
threshold for mating to be 56 per hectare, and most of
the surveys in historically important fishing grounds
revealed densities substantially below that — from 5 or
6 per hectare to 20 or 30.
“Conch populations in the Bahamas are overfished,”
Stoner said, “and urgently need improved management.”
CONCHSERVATION
In 2013 a national campaign began in the Bahamas to
conserve conch for future generations. It was and is a
joint effort between many conservation organizations,
including the Bahamas National Trust, Bahamas Reef
Environment Educational Foundation (BREEF), the
Nature Conservancy, Community Conch, Friends of the
Environment and others. They all recognize the need to
conserve the declining population of queen conch, but
the best way to do that seems to be unclear.
Some stakeholders suggest that a closed fishing
season during spawning (April–September), similar to
that of lobster and Nassau grouper, would help. Others
say the key is to establish more marine protected areas
(MPAs) in which conch are left alone for their entire life
cycles. This seems to hold some water as conch surveys
in marine parks revealed much higher densities than
surveys outside the parks. It is likely that a combination
of both tactics, among other measures, is needed.
One thing everyone can agree on is the need for vast
improvement in enforcement of existing laws. Today,
Bahamian laws include a ban on harvesting while using
scuba (which experts say should be expanded to include
hookah — a common method for collecting conch and
lobster), a ban on collection in MPAs, a limit of six
conch per foreign vessel and export quotas.
Perhaps the most important rule states that fishers
are to take adult conch only, i.e., conch that have
had a chance to reproduce. The law may not go far
enough, however, stating only that a conch needs to
have a “well-formed lip,” which according to Lundy
“does not guarantee the conch is sexually mature — a
much better measure is lip thickness, with 15 mm
[approximately a half inch] being a good minimum.”
What can we as divers, guides and travelers do?
The most direct thing would be to abstain from eating
conch altogether, but asking about the size and age
of the conch you eat can help. Conservationists on
the ground are campaigning for everyone to “Be Sure
It’s Mature.” If conch vendors are pressured into
sourcing only full-grown conch (as the often-ignored
law requires), it would be a small victory in an area in
which victories are needed.
I suggest not limiting this standard to conch. If we
educate ourselves about the conservation issues of
the places we travel to we can make informed choices
about what we eat and who we patronize. As the
saying goes, “You vote with your wallet every day,” and
what we purchase (or don’t) does make a difference.
When I moved to the Bahamas I had no idea conch
were in trouble — or how cool they are. I no longer
look at conch and think only of food; I am amazed by
them and always happy to see them hopping along on
the seafloor. AD
44 | WINTER 2017