Peggy Williams wrote:CUT...
 
> His talk was interesting. Seems there are two populations of conch - one
> inshore and one offshore, beyond Hawk Channel, which is uncrossable for the
> shelled conch (veligers have no trouble, obviously). The inshore population
> cannot reproduce; the female gonads are remarkable reduced, and this seems
> to be a result of poor water quality. (It's no surprise to me that the
> water quality nearshore is poor!) The offshore population reproduces fine
> but is so small that the population is increasing only slowly and actually
> went down a bit last year (El Nino year).
 
Hello!
 
Hi Peggy and all,
 
Hawk channel runs parallel to Key Largo to Lower Matecumbe and sort of beyond that
along the Fl keys ie between the mainland (Keys) and The Reef line. Hawk channel has
grassy bottom in most areas and is only about 15 to 20 ft deep (there may be some
nice deep 30 ft holes here and there). It seems improbabble that conchs are
prevented from crossing such a shallow food-friendly channel. Where does the
offshore population live, on  the reefs? As you go out from land and cross the
channel you first hit the patch reefs and sand areas and then the more continuous
reef line. Where is the offshore Strombus habitat?  I thought Strombus were grazers
only where the Turtle grass grows, not on the patch reefs or sandy areas between the
shallows near the mainland and the main reef line.
 
Any more info?--
 
Later,
 
Emilio Jorge Power
 
Please visit;
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