In a message dated 5/12/01 2:02:17 AM, [log in to unmask] writes:

<< According to a news item on the "Environment News Service" a local judge
has given the sign to reopen the Queen Conch Fisheries in Jamaica after a two
years ban. This in spite of the fact that the Queen Conch Strombus gigas is a
CITES species. Only fully regulated fisheries on Queen Conchs are allowed.
For full text I refer to:
http://ens-news.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-11-01.html

Henk K. Mienis  >>

Hello Shell People,

So how does this ban work? How is it that the Bahamians eat local conch every
day? And where do the conch in the delicious curried conch I've eaten at
Ka-RUM-Ba's on Duvall Street on Key West come from? (Might I recommend their
gaspacho as an appetizer, it is delicious.)

I'm more than a little dubious about CITES after having read Eric Hanson's
excellent "Orchid Fever". Rather than saving species, CITES regulations have
hastened their demise by making it illegal to collect seed for propagation
purposes, even if the bulldozers are bearing down on the plants for an
airstrip, logging road or strip mine.

I admit I hadn't heard of CITES until the occasional mention on this list.
But after reading Hanson's book and learning of the bureaucratic stupidities
and abuses, my hair was standing on end. I'm not an Orchid person, the only
reason I picked up the book was that I had so enjoyed his other books,
"Motoring with Mohammed" and "Stranger in the Forest, On Foot Across Borneo".
(I recommend these books too. If you find yourself dining alone at
Ka-RUM-Ba's, you can read them as you enjoy your gaspacho.)   I'm really
hoping that CITES regulations aren't so damaging to mollusk species.

Ellen