BY JENNY STALETOVICH
The Bahamas queen conch, a flamboyant slug whose sunset shell has come to be as much of a calling card for the islands’ easy breezy charm as a staple in its economy, is in deep trouble.
In a new study based on a decade of surveys, researchers at Community Conch, a Bahamian nonprofit, and Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium found that in just 10 to 15 years, rapidly shrinking numbers may no longer be able to support commercial fishing in the Bahamas. Herds of conchs that once crowded into seagrass meadows and shallow waters as recently as the 1990s are now so overfished that only young conch can be found, and in much lower numbers. Read more >>