Hello from Key West I have lived in KW my whole life and we had and have Strombus gigas.Over 20 years ago the state of Florida put a ban on collecting of conchs.That was due in part to the over collecting for commerical use of the meat.Today we have conchs inshore and on the reef.I don't know of anywhere in Key West that imported sand destoryed the breeding grounds.So far no oil either ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [log in to unmask] - a forum for informal discussions on molluscs To leave this list, click on the following web link: http://listserv.uga.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=conch-l&A=1 Type your email address and name in the appropriate box and click leave the list. ----------------------------------------------------------------------