Abstract

Now is the time to help communities grow queen conch for the sake of the species, the seagrass ecosystem, and the people who depend on the fishery. Queen conch has suffered significant population loss over the years. Along with overfishing of adults, harvesting of immature queen conch before they are large enough to reproduce has contributed to their decline. Climate change pressures and disappearing seagrass beds have also become threats for the survival of the species. Local regulations as well as trade regulations (CITES II) are helping with fishery management, yet significant challenges remain, leading NOAA Fisheries to recently announce a proposed rule to list queen conch as a threatened species on the Endangered Species Act. These collaborative efforts will help to drive science and society toward a vision for a sustainable conch fishery.

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