Volume 59

Queen Conch Ranching and Educational Outreach as Part of the Seaflower Biosphere Reserve, Colombia


Authors
Shawl, A., Prada, M., Castro, E., Taylor, E., Davis, M.
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Other Information


Date: November, 2006


Pages: 79-84


Event: Proceedings of the Fifty Nine Annual Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute


City: Belize City


Country: Belize

Abstract

The queen conch is the second most valuable fishery species across the Caribbean region including Colombia. Colombian production comes primarily from the San Andres, Providence and Santa Catalina archipelago, where has been highly exploited for more than three decades. Queen conch meat landings from Colombia ranks in the top 10 countries in total global exports despite its CITES country quota, which has been diminishing with time. A total closure of the fishery within the archipelago occurred from June 2004 through November 2006, and currently a significant increase in its natural population, particularly from Serrana reef, is expected. Contrary to the spiny lobster, the queen conch has also been an important species for locals and indeed is one of the species most represented in cultural traditions. Traditional fishers in the archipelago earn less than US $1.00 per hour or US $2-3.00 per pound of conch, and many of them have large families to sustain. The recently declared Seaflower MPA setup under CORALINA leadership, with no-take-zones provides perfect opportunities to recover this key species in the reefs where natural recovery is not yet taken place. To enhance this natural process the authors are looking for innovative approaches to allow traditional fishers a better quality of life, while actively participating in queen conch protection and recovery. The main goal of this project is to introduce methods that include conservation education, conch ranching, and restocking marine protected areas with reproductive stock. Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI) scientists are working with Blue Dream, Ltd., Secretaria de Agricultura y Pesca, CORALINA, local fishers, teachers, students and the San Andres and Old Providence communities. In October 2006, juvenile queen conch were collected from Serrana Reef and placed into two 19.3 m dia cages. The conch were separated into two size classes (under and over 12 cm total length) and stocked at a density of 1.6 conch per m2 for the over 12 cm group, and 2.3 conch per m2 for the under 12 cm group. The cages were constructed by visiting scientists, local fishers, biologists, and technicians and replicated the cages currently operated at the Caicos Conch Farm, Turks and Caicos Islands. Each cage was placed in a shallow near-shore site on Saint Catalina Island within a Seaflower Biosphere Reserve no-take zone. The conch ranching study will last approximately seven months, after which time, half of the conch will be released into artisanal fishing sites, and the remaining conch will be released into a no-take zone. CORALINA personnel and other partners will translate HBOI’s Conch in the Classroom curriculum, and teacher training workshops will be held in spring 2007 in Old Providence and San Andres. This project incorporates fisheries management, education, and natural recovery together as an effective strategy to help conserve queen conch, minimize fisheries pressure in the archipelago, and positively contribute to the socio-economics of this developing region in Colombia.

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