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.