Abstract

The Florida Keys once had thriving commercial and recreational queen conch fisheries. In the mid 1980s, all harvest was banned due to concerns over the declining population. On its own, the population was slow to recover; therefore, we began seeking a proactive restoration strategy. After evaluating releases of hatchery juveniles, we adopted a transplantation approach based upon research that demonstrated that non-reproductive conch inhabiting the nearshore zone began reproducing when transplanted offshore into spawning aggregations. Furthermore, the conch found nearshore cannot migrate to breeding aggregations offshore. To maximize the contribution these conch make to the recovery of the local stock, it is critical to transplant them into aggregations where the larvae that are produced there have a high probability of retention in the Keys waters. Therefore, we are also examining the origin of larvae recruiting to the Keys by conducting plankton surveys and combining these results with satellite imagery and hydrological data. All past and current research and the implementation of the transplantation program uses an extensive base of community volunteers. Taken together, an approach that combines transplantation with metapopulation theory and is implemented withthe assistance of local volunteers appears to be an effective strategy ror restoring Florida's conch population.

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