Mobile Labs

About

The Queen Conch Lab has deployed mobile, solar-powered, hurricane-resistant labs to Puerto Rico, The Bahamas, Jamaica, and Florida. Housed in 20’ x 8’ trailers and stationed within communities, they support restoration, science careers, community engagement, and sustainable seafood.

Labs function as hatcheries, nurseries, or for pearl production, using flow-through or recirculating saltwater systems and aeration for larvae and algae. Each can raise up to 2,000 conch annually from egg to juvenile (7–9 cm). This innovation boosts hatchery-level production efficiency while reducing environmental impact and carbon footprint through energy-efficient, locally rooted design. 

The Queen Conch Mobile Lab is a self-contained, American-made aquaculture system designed and built at FAU Harbor Branch and can be shipped to any Caribbean country. It includes everything needed to incubate conch eggs, culture microalgae, raise larvae, and grow juveniles. Powered by a 900-watt solar system with inverter, charger, and battery bank, the lab supports both flow-through and recirculating saltwater systems, with aeration for larvae and algae circulation. Each Mobile Lab after it arrives, is connected to the local coastal seawater source. It's a plug-and-play lab that brings aquaculture to previously unconsidered areas of the Caribbean.