Technology

The History

Queen conch aquaculture and ranching started in the late 1970s with many pioneering labs throughout the Caribbean. It was in the 1980s that the first commercial-scale farm was established in the Turks and Caicos Islands where co-founder, Megan Davis, Ph.D. developed production techniques to grow millions of early stage juveniles for grow out.

The technology

Commercial fishing, climate change, and urbanization of coastal areas have contributed to the depletion of wild queen conch populations to a level of Threatened under the Endangered Species Act (NOAA). Culturing queen conch can relieve fishing pressure and help provide animals for the restocking of overfished habitats. We share our established methods of culturing juvenile queen conch freely to empower communities with the skills needed to grow conch for restoration and sustainable seafood purposes.

The restoration Solution

Restoration aquaculture includes using Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to house adult breeding populations to see an increase the number of wild egg masses laid. Small portions of these egg masses can be collected (with permits) and hatched to produce juvenile conch for placement in seagrass habitats, where conch play a critical role in keeping the seagrass beds healthy and sequestering carbon. Queen conch aquaculture and restoration provides many advantages for Caribbean communities such as, diversified livelihoods for fishers and community members, the enhancement of skills to retain and build local workforce, unique marine science research topics for students, outreach to schools and community, and ecotourism.

The Community-based Model

With queen conch being one of the most culturally significant fishery species in the Caribbean, it is essential that students and community members understand its importance from economic, social, and ecological perspectives. Many Caribbean communities were founded—and still exist today—because of the conch fishery. Protecting and sustaining queen conch populations is therefore a national priority for many countries, and aquaculture and restoration offer promising solutions to support the species, the ecosystem, and the people who rely on the fishery.

By developing a capacity-building program that uses queen conch aquaculture and restoration as a blueprint, communities gain the training, skills, and confidence needed to become the marine scientists, conservationists, eco-preneurs, and leaders who will help drive the growth of the blue economy within their own countries.