Abstract

A morphometric study was conducted on queen conch (Strombus gigas) taken from the Barbuda portion of the Antigua and Barbuda Shelf. The objectives were to:i) Ascertain if there were habitat preference based on maturation stages (juvenile, sub adult, adult and old adult), ii) Determine if there were spatial variability in regards to morphology, iii) Examine length-weight relationships for various maturation stages, iv) Improve national-derived conversion factors for different levels of processed conch meat, and v) Appraise current management regimes (e.g., minimum size / weight). Juveniles tended to prefer sand and seagrass strongly, whilst pooled adults tended to prefer habitats that were a combination of sand and macroalgae, rock or coral rubble (p < 0.001). Shell length and shell lip thickness (an indicator of the age of conch) both differed significantly (p < 0.01) along the coast of Barbuda. Differences in lip thickness or conch age were attributed to variation in the level of exploitation (i.e., traditional fishing areas versus recent fishing areas), proximity to fishing grounds and type of habitat (seagrass, rock, coral rubble, etc.). In terms of size, sexual dimorphism was detected, with females being significantly larger than males (p < 0.001). Conversion factors differed significantly among maturation stages (p < 0.01); this was consistent with conversion factors derived from conch collected from the Antigua portion of the Antigua and Barbuda shelf. These results reaffirm an earlier study that a multifaceted management approach (minimum size, limited access, close season, protected areas, etc.) was required to ensure that the conch fishery was sustainable, given the variation in morphology.

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