Dear all,
 
The scarcity of Queen Conchs depends on where you are. In some places in
the Keys you can hardly put your foot down without stepping on one, and
they are huge, mature shells of exceptional beauty. This has been the case
for several years.
 
However, I think they're now having problems with poachers (probably of
Caribbean origin) who harvest conchs illegally and clean them while out on
the reef. Even though this offense is punishable by confiscation of the
boat and heavy fines, it's hard for authorities to patrol all the possible
area.
 
Conchs lay millions of eggs a year, and wherever they are protected, even
by a season or limit on age, they are fairly common. Moreover, the veliger
stage floats quite a way before it settles to the bottom, so newly
protected areas are quickly re-seeded with juvenile conchs. Within five
years you can have a new, mature breeding population.
 
In Chub Cay (Bahamas) literally thousands are harvested each day in 10-20
feet of water and have been for a number of years. Most of the fishermen
there respect the need to take only mature conch (the ones with the flaring
lip) to allow them to grow enough to reproduce, but the economic fact is
that the nearly-mature ones have more meat than the older ones (we all
shrink as we get older, right?) and juveniles are often poached.
 
At least this fishery only takes the intended prey. Think about net fishing
of bottom fish, scallops and shrimp: the bycatch of these fisheries is
appalling. Everything from sea stars to crabs to fish to molluscs is
collected and much of it dies, even if it's scooped back into the water
right away.
 
Whoops! I got on my soapbox. Sorry...
 
Peggy Williams
 
                     http://www.mindspring.com/~shellelegant
                                  Peggy Williams
                                   Shell Elegant Tours
                 PO Box 575     *     Tallevast FL 34270
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