WildEarth Guardians

Thursday, March 1, 2012
WildEarth Guardians Seeks Protection for Imperiled Queen Conch

Marine Animal Threatened by Human Consumption, Pollution, Habitat Degradation
Contact: Taylor Jones (303) 573-4898 x1159

Washington, DC – March 1. WildEarth Guardians petitioned the National Marine Fisheries Service to list the queen conch (Strombus gigas) as “threatened” or “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) this week. The conch occurs throughout the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, from Bermuda and Florida in the northern extent of its range to Brazil in the south. The conch is threatened by intensive human exploitation, water pollution, and habitat loss.

The queen conch is a large mollusk with a distinctive spiral shell with blunt spikes and a pearly pink or orange interior. The species can grow to 12 inches in shell-length and weigh up to 5 pounds. Queen conch are depleted or in decline throughout its range due primarily to exploitation for human consumption of conch meat.

“Queen conch are worth more than a fleeting ‘gourmet’ experience,” said Taylor Jones, Endangered Species Advocate for WildEarth Guardians.  “If we don’t curb our appetite for these animals, they will vanish forever. Letting that happen would be the height of irresponsibility.”

Queen conch are found primarily in seagrass beds, which are important ecosystems that provide food, shelter, and nursery grounds to myriad fish and invertebrate species. Seagrasses, highly sensitive to water quality, are key indicator species reflecting the health of coastal ecosystems. Some researchers have compared seagrass beds to tropical rainforests based on their high productivity, structural complexity, and biodiversity. Queen conch play a vital role in shaping these communities, principally by consuming seagrass detritus (dead and decomposing seagrass). The loss or substantial decrease of queen conch will cause significant, harmful changes in the ecosystem.

The United States is the single largest consumer of internationally traded conch, importing, on average, 78 percent of exported conch meat. Already, queen conch have been so heavily exploited in many areas that a viable fishery no longer exists, yet the population continues to be steadily depleted. Listing the queen conch under the ESA would provide essential protection for this species by restricting U.S. take and import.

ESA listing would also allow for designation of critical habitat to protect vital shallow water nursery grounds and adult breeding populations. Seagrass beds are threatened by coastal development, sedimentation, and pollution, among other threats, and need additional protection to support sea life.