ABSTRACT
The large gastropod Strombus gigas (queen conch) inhabits the shallow seagrass beds of Florida, the Bahamas, the Caribbean Islands, Bermuda and the coast of Central and South America (Randall 1964). Since the 1970's the queen conch has been an important fisheries species in the Caribbean region. The fisheries has grown considerable in the past 20 years; the landings for conch are estimated at 6,000 metric tonnes with a potential value of 60 million dollars US (Chakalall and Cochrane 1997). Overfishing of this species in many countries has necessitated the need for management regulations. As of 1992 queen conch was added to Appendix II under CITES (Convention for the International Trade of Endangered Species). Now countries that export conch need permit approval from CITES management to ensure that the species is harvested at a level consistent with its fisheries population. Other management strategies such as total closure of fisheries (Florida and Bermuda), seasonal closures (Belize, Cuba and US Virgin Islands), annual quotas (Mexico, Cuba, Turks and Caicos Islands, and Jamaica), scuba diving prohibited (Columbia, Belize, Turks and Caicos Is. and Martinique), and minimum size requirements (most countries) will also assist with the preservation of the species (Appeldoom 1994, Chakalall and Cochrane 1997). However, management practices alone may not be enough to bring back overfished stocks or maintain fisheries populations over the long term.
