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. <strong>AD</strong> 44 | WINTER <strong>2017</strong>
RESEARCH EDUCATION MEDICINE 46 DAN WAS THERE FOR ME / 48 <strong>AD</strong>VANCED DIVING / 52 SKILLS IN ACTION 54 RESEARCHER PROFILE / 58 INCIDENT INSIGHT 60 FROM THE MEDICAL LINE / 64 EXPERT OPINIONS / 68 SAFETY 101 Sandtiger sharks school off the coast of North Carolina. TANYA HOUPPERMANS ALERTDIVER.COM | 45
- Page 1 and 2: THE MAGAZINE OF DIVERS ALERT NETWOR
- Page 3 and 4: Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe BLANCPAIN
- Page 5 and 6: Tiger Beach, Bahamas Shark Expediti
- Page 7 and 8: Travel Smarter With DAN Travel Insu
- Page 9 and 10: FEATURING LINING Immerse yourself i
- Page 11 and 12: A wonder-full experience. Whether i
- Page 13 and 14: Higher Limits. More Protection. Wit
- Page 15 and 16: I optimistically thought PCBs might
- Page 17 and 18: Cayman-AD-Jan2017.pdf 1 1/5/2017 3:
- Page 19 and 20: DIVE THE WORLD for every diver, and
- Page 21 and 22: genetically identical to each other
- Page 23 and 24: marauding crown-of-thorns starfish
- Page 25 and 26: RICHARD PYLE, BISHOP MUSEUM some sh
- Page 27 and 28: 1-800-899-2582 info@SouthernCrossCl
- Page 29 and 30: The NATURE ISLAND OF DOMINICA is SE
- Page 31 and 32: of formation and began a slow left
- Page 33 and 34: DEANO COOK several of Stephen Frink
- Page 35 and 36: TRAVEL SMARTER DEEP VEIN THROMBOSIS
- Page 37 and 38: slackers; larval fish are small, fa
- Page 39 and 40: 3. While maintaining this position,
- Page 41 and 42: DUTCH SPRINGS Text and photos by Be
- Page 43 and 44: BVI-AD-Nov2016.pdf 1 1/5/2017 3:55:
- Page 45: the national food of the Bahamas an
- Page 49 and 50: STEPHEN FRINK STEPHEN FRINK might b
- Page 51 and 52: Construction of tunnels and bridge
- Page 53 and 54: WITH OUR EXCLUSIVE VALET DIVING, TH
- Page 55 and 56: world experience to really make it
- Page 57 and 58: a profile provides a snapshot of th
- Page 59 and 60: and fish farms employ a significant
- Page 61 and 62: It was a 97-foot dive, and I was ve
- Page 63 and 64: Q: I have noticed that beginning sc
- Page 65 and 66: IPE is a multifactorial condition,
- Page 67 and 68: TBI AND DIVING Divers who report a
- Page 69 and 70: Returning to diving following a hea
- Page 71 and 72: who are at elevated risk of a strok
- Page 73 and 74: FIRST-AID BACKPACK The First-Aid Ba
- Page 75 and 76: A curious and playful Steller sea l
- Page 77 and 78: Clockwise from top left: Harbor sea
- Page 79 and 80: ALERTDIVER.COM | 77
- Page 81 and 82: A diver swims above a colorful wall
- Page 83 and 84: The deck guns on the wreck of the M
- Page 85 and 86: Brac from Little Cayman, but with s
- Page 87 and 88: Opposite: A free-swimming green mor
- Page 89 and 90: How to Dive It GETTING THERE: The C
- Page 91 and 92: ADELIE PENGUINS ON THE LONG WALK FR
- Page 93 and 94: [ SHOOTER JOHN WELLER PHOTOGRAPHY F
- Page 95 and 96: season), I finally got down there t
- Page 97 and 98:
The visibility was perhaps the best
- Page 99 and 100:
ALERTDIVER.COM | 97
- Page 101 and 102:
ANOTHER WAY OF SEEING THE ART OF PO
- Page 103 and 104:
WORKFLOW For me a normal pool shoot
- Page 105 and 106:
Corals bleach, or turn white, when
- Page 107 and 108:
1998 mass bleaching event. While 90
- Page 109 and 110:
Respond Smarter With DAN First Aid
- Page 111 and 112:
JAVIER POLANCO SHERYL SHEA SHERYL S
- Page 113 and 114:
MARKETPLACE OV_AlertDiver.qxp_Layou
- Page 115 and 116:
YOUR DIVE SAFETY ASSOCIATION ® New