Abstract

The Queen conch is a well-loved delicacy; an important part of Belizean culture that has been around for generations. So, for many Belizeans, the idea of not having it around is not something they imagine or think about happening, particularly in a small country of 360,000 inhabitants. But, we need not look very far to the Caribbean nations of the Bahamas and Jamaica; or our Latin American neighbors in Mexico, to realize that it’s not a far-fetched reality, despite conch fishery in Belize being small-scale. This means that there are only approximately 2,600 registered fishers who use small fishing vessels and boats to catch conch and other seafood. The Bahamas, Jamaica, and Mexico have all, at some point, instituted moratoriums in order to address a serious shortage of what Bahamians refer to as “royalty”, and Mexicans call Caracol Rosado; i.e. the Queen conch. In Belize, Queen conch is managed using a minimum shell length size of 7 inches, and a minimum clean meat (without the shell) weight of 3 ounces. The season closes each year from July 1 to September 30, or whenever the annual fishing quota is reached. However, despite attempts to manage the queen conch fisheries, the species continues to be listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The Queen conch’s slow growth and inclination to congregate in shallow waters make them susceptible to over-exploitation. So, it is important that we protect it for future generations, as mandated by the country’s Fisheries Department. But are we doing that? And what exactly does a ˜protection’ entail?