>  The first is regarding Queen Conch.  I have read the legislation and CITES
>  information, and I interpret it to mean that it is absolutely illegal (not
>  to mention unethical)  to sell or trade Queen Conch. However, another Nature
>  Exchange in a different city seems to think there is a way around this if
>  the shell was obviously collected for food (with the characteristic cut in
>  the shell).  We have a few large conchs with pink interiors that were
>  donated, and I assume they are Queen.  But when I look at websites for shell
>  dealers, such as shellhorizons.com,   I see shells like them called "Bahama
>  Pink Conch" or "Hatian Conch".  Are these different species? If so, how on
>  earth do you tell the difference?  If they are the same, how is it legal (or
>  ethical)  for them to be sold?

Those are also queen conchs.  The population is still large in some areas, but overfished in others.  Locals still fish for them, regardless of the rules.  If it's just for their own consumption, it probably does not have much impact on the population.  I don't know what the legal details are for CITES regulations as to whether there are ways to legally sell them.


    Dr. David Campbell
    Old Seashells
    University of Alabama
    Biodiversity & Systematics
    Dept. Biological Sciences
    Box 870345
    Tuscaloosa, AL  35487-0345 USA
    [log in to unmask]

That is Uncle Joe, taken in the masonic regalia of a Grand Exalted Periwinkle of the Mystic Order of Whelks-P.G. Wodehouse, Romance at Droitgate Spa

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