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Researcher holding juvenile queen conch. Shown is the spiral-shaped shell with a glossy pink/orange interior, part of the soft interior body, and large eyes on the end of stalks. Credit: Jennifer Doerr, NOAA SEFSC Galveston
Researcher holding juvenile queen conch. Shown is the spiral-shaped shell with a glossy pink/orange interior, part of the soft interior body, and large eyes on the end of stalks. Credit: Jennifer Doerr, NOAA SEFSC Galveston
About the Species
Researcher holding juvenile queen conch. Shown is the spiral-shaped shell with a glossy pink/orange interior, part of the soft interior body, and large eyes on the end of stalks. Credit: Jennifer Doerr, NOAA SEFSC Galveston
Researcher holding juvenile queen conch. Shown is the spiral-shaped shell with a glossy pink/orange interior, part of the soft interior body, and large eyes on the end of stalks. Credit: Jennifer Doerr, NOAA SEFSC Galveston
The queen conch is a large gastropod mollusk belonging to the same taxonomic group (Mollusca). Queen conch are slow growing and late to mature, reaching up to 12 inches in length and living up to 30 years. The queen conch occurs throughout the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and around Bermuda. They are benthic-grazing herbivores that feed on diatoms, seagrass detritus, and various types of algae and epiphytes. Adult queen conch prefer sandy algal flats, but are also found on gravel, coral rubble, smooth hard coral, and beach rock bottom, while juveniles are primarily associated with seagrass beds.
Queen conch are highly sought after for their meat and are one of the most valuable species in the Caribbean. Learn more about their current fishing/harvest status.
On September 7, 2022, we announced a proposed rule to list the queen conch as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. Information and comments on this proposed rule must be received by November 7, 2022. Learn more about the the proposed rule and how to submit a comment.
Location
Queen conch occurs throughout the Caribbean Sea, in the Florida Keys, and the Gulf of Mexico, and around Bermuda.
Appearance
Queen conch have long eye stalks that can be moved independently and a tube-like mouth called a proboscis that can pull into its shell if threatened.
Queen conch are characterized by a large, heavy, whorl-shaped shell with multiple short spines at the apex, a brown and horny operculum, and a pink interior of the shell lip.
They can grow up to 12 inches and weigh up to 5 pounds. Females on average grow more quickly than males, to a larger size, and have greater weight than males.
Biology
Queen conch is a long lived species, generally reaching 25 to 30 years old, and are believed to reach sexual maturity around 3.5 to 4 years of age. They have determinate growth and reach maximum shell length before sexual maturation; thereafter the shell grows only in thickness. Size at maturity can vary depending on environmental conditions.
Queen conch have a protracted spawning season of 4 to 9 months, with peak spawning during warmer months. They reproduce through internal fertilization, meaning individuals must be in contact to mate.
Females can store fertilized eggs for several weeks, and eggs may be fertilized by multiple males. Egg laying takes 24 to 36 hours, with each egg mass containing about 750,000 eggs. After an incubation period of about 5 days the eggs hatch, and the veligers (larvae) drift in the water column from 21 to 30 days before settling to the bottom and metamorphosing into the adult form.
Queen conch are slow moving marine snails that require direct contact to mate and these life history traits make them vulnerable to depensatory processes which impact reproductive success and impedes recovery of depleted populations.
Larval conch feed on phytoplankton, juvenile conch feed primarily on seagrass detritus macroalgae and organic material in the sediment, and adults feed primarily on different types of filamentous algae.
Where They Live
Range
Queen conch occurs throughout the Caribbean Sea, in the Florida Keys, and the Gulf of Mexico, and around Bermuda.
Habitat
Queen conch use different habitat types including seagrass beds, sand flats, algal beds, and rubble areas from a few centimeters deep to approximately 30 meters.
Adult distributions are heavily influenced by food availability and fishing pressure; in unexploited areas, they are most common in shallow marine waters less than 30 meters depth.
Inside Naguabo Queen Conch Hatchery in Puerto Rico. From left to right – Victoria Cassar, Hatchery Manager; Raimundo Espinoza, Executive Director, Conservación ConCiencia and Co-PI on SK NOAA grant; Megan Davis, Research Professor, Florida Atlantic University Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute and PI on SK NOAA grant.
U.S. wild-caught queen conch is a smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed under a rebuilding plan that allows limited harvest by U.S. fishermen.
Availability
Year-round.
Source
U.S. wild-caught from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, but U.S. harvest is very limited.
Taste
Conch has a sweet, slightly smoky flavor, similar to abalone or clam, and an almost crunchy texture. Fresh, farmed conch is sweeter and more tender than frozen, wild conch.
Texture
Young “thin-lipped” conchs have more tender meat than larger, “thick-lipped” ones.
Color
Depending on the conch’s size, the meat ranges in color from snow white to a pale, golden orange. The larger the animal, the darker the meat.
Health Benefits
Queen conch is a good low-fat source of protein. It is high in vitamins E and B12, magnesium, selenium, and folate, but is also high in cholesterol.
NOAA Administrator, Dr. Richard Spinrad, and NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator, Janet Coit, with representatives from the Intertribal Agriculture Council at Seafood Expo North America 2023 in Boston. Credit: NOAA Fisheries.
Queen conch may not be commercially or recreationally harvested in Florida waters per state law. In the Caribbean, NOAA Fisheries and the Caribbean Fishery Management Council manage queen conch in federal waters, while the governments of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands manage queen conch in their territorial waters.
Population Status
According to the 2009 stock assessment (PDF, 195 pages), queen conch is overfished but is not subject to overfishing based on 2021 catch data.
Fishery Management
NOAA Fisheries and the Caribbean Fishery Management Council manage queen conch in federal waters. The governments of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands manage queen conch in their territorial waters.
Harvest of queen conch is prohibited in federal waters off Puerto Rico and St. Thomas and St. John.
Harvest of queen conch is allowed in federal waters around St. Croix east of 64°34′ W longitude during the open fishing season (November through May).
Seasonal and area closures protect juvenile and spawning conch.
Annual catch limits are applicable to federal waters.
Daily commercial trip limits, recreational bag limits, and minimum size limits apply to queen conch harvest in both federal (where harvest is allowed) and territorial waters.
Annual quotas apply for harvest of queen conch in territorial waters of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Requirements to keep queen conch attached to the shell in federal waters and when landed in the U.S. Virgin Islands allow for effective counting by enforcement agents.
A rebuilding plan to rebuild the stock to the target population level is in place with a target date of 2020.
The International Queen Conch Initiative was established by resource managers from Caribbean countries to coordinate international management of queen conch in the region.
Harvest
The United States is a major importer of queen conch, due to the limited harvest allowed in federal waters and U.S. Virgin Islands territorial waters.
Commercial landings of queen conch meat from Puerto Rico and St. Thomas/St. John (territorial waters) and St. Croix (federal and territorial waters) in 2021 was 31,000 pounds and were valued at $200,000 million according to the NOAA Fisheries commercial fishing landings database.
Queen conch are primarily caught by hand, so there is minimal impact on habitat and little bycatch.
The queen conch fishery has a long tradition in the Caribbean region. The meat is sold either fresh or dried and the shells are used in pottery and jewelry.
NOAA Fisheries will hold a virtual public hearing related to the proposed rule to list the queen conch as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). We have reopened the public comment period. The public comment period will close on December 15, 2022.
The public hearing on the proposed rule will be held online on November 21, 2022, from 5:30pm to 8:00pm (Eastern Standard Time). Since the hearing will be held online, the public can join by internet or phone regardless of location.
Registration
To attend the public hearing, please see the following meeting and WebEx details:
*Only use this Form if you intend to make an oral comment at the virtual hearing.
Please note that time for oral comments may be limited at the public meeting to ensure all have the opportunity to speak. Therefore, anyone wishing to make an oral comment at the public hearing for the record is also encouraged to submit written comments. Comments must be received by December 15, 2022. Comments received after this date may not be accepted.
You may submit comments in writing by any of the following methods:
Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Go to www.regulations.gov and enter NOAA-NMFS-2019-0141 in the Search box. Click on the “Comment” icon, complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments.
Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any other address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, might not be considered by NMFS. All comments received are a part of the public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying information ( e.g., name, address, etc.), confidential business information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily by the sender will be publicly accessible. NMFS will accept anonymous comments (enter “N/A” in the required fields if you wish to remain anonymous).
On September 8, 2022, we published a proposed rule to list the queen conch (Aliger gigas, previously known as Strombus gigas) as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). We have completed a comprehensive status review for the queen conch. After considering the status review report, and after taking into account efforts being made to protect the species, we have determined that the queen conch is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout its range. Therefore, we propose to list the queen conch as a threatened species under the ESA. Any protective regulations determined to be necessary and advisable for the conservation of the queen conch under ESA would be proposed in a subsequent Federal Register announcement. We solicit information to assist this listing determination, the development of proposed protective regulations, and designation of critical habitat within U.S jurisdiction.
We, NMFS, announce a proposed rule to list the queen conch (Aliger gigas) as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). We have completed a comprehensive status review for the queen conch. After considering the status review report,…
We, NOAA Fisheries, announce the initiation of a status review of queen conch (Strombus gigas) to determine whether listing the species as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is warranted. A comprehensive status review must…
