Abstract

Queen conch (Strombus gigas) has largely declined through the Caribbean. But its recreational fishery impact still remains poorly documented. Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) approaches were used to test three hypotheses: (1) Conch is illegally captured within the Luis Peña Channel No-take Natural Reserve in Culebra Island; (2) Illegal-sized shells constitute most of the fishery; and (3) There is shell harvesting within the seasonal closure. Six replicate 50 x 4 m (200 m2) belt transects parallel to the shoreline were used to count and measure all recent empty shells along the shoreline at four shores in Culebra Island (2 within reserve, 2 control sites outside). There was significant poaching of shells within the no-take reserve. Mean shell size was 11 cm, both within and outside the reserve, and mean lip width was below 2 mm, falling way below legal size limits. More than 99% of the shells inspected failed to meet minimum size limits. Further, we found evidence of recent illegal captures within the seasonal closure, even within the no-take reserve. There was no difference in shell abundance among sites, even within the no-take reserve. Shells were largely aggregated in specific remote locations, which explains the high variability between transects. This suggests that crime scene locations are regular spots of difficult access, frequently used by poachers that could be monitored through time by enforcement authorities. Our study confirms that Conch is being continuously poached by recreational and/or artisanal fishers, even within the no-take reserve, suggesting the lack of patrolling and enforcement.

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