Below is an article I saw on the Ecology Listserver. Sounds like
commercial harvest for food has an impact on the populations. -Tim-
 
Timothy A. Pearce, Ph.D., Curator of Mollusks
Delaware Museum of Natural History
Box 3937, 4840 Kennett Pike       302-658-9111 x319
Wilmington, DE 19807-0937, USA    [log in to unmask]
 
 
Conches on the Verge of Extinction
EarthVision Reports
Dec/29/1998
 
LONG KEY, FL, December 29, 1998 -- Imagine a Banana Republic with
no bananas, or a sunbelt with no sun - now the American state
that was once known as "The Conch Republic" is finding itself
having to import all of its conches from Jamaica or South
America. According to an article from The Associated Press, there
isn't enough conch left in the Florida Keys to cook up a bowl of
conch chowder. In 1965, quarter-million conches were harvested
in the Keys. Ten years later, the numbers were so miniscule all
commercial harvesting was banned. Ten years after that, all
recreational taking of the conch was outlawed.
 
There may be good news on the horizon though. According to AP,
an enterprising public servant and the state government are
trying to bring back the conch by growing them in giant tanks.
The effort may be just in time for the species. The article
points out that conches are one step from being classified as
threatened in countries around the world. Already, Jamaica has
limited its season and Puerto Rico, Venezuela and the Turks and
Caicos Islands all have developed their own hatcheries. However,
the hatcheries have a high mortality rate even though they
produce millions of juveniles each year. The problem, according
to the article, is that conches born in the artificial
environment do not know how to bury themselves in the sand for
protection.