Seafood Results
Conch
Ocean Wise
Variety
Queen conch, Pink conch
Strombus gigas
Method
Diver
Location
Caribbean: Honduras
Overall Rating
Summary
The queen conch (Strombus gigas) is a large marine gastropod distributed throughout the wider Caribbean Sea. Queen conch caught in Honduras is a sustainable option because there’s an annual catch limit to prevent overfishing and no other species of concern are caught.
Learn more about harvest methods
Not Recommended
Variety
Queen conch, Pink conch
Strombus gigas
Method
Wild
Diver
Location
Caribbean Sea:Nicaragua
Overall Rating
Summary
The queen conch fishery of the Caribbean takes place in the Bahamas, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Turks and Caicos Islands, and US Virgin Islands. They are caught by SCUBA/hookah divers or by free divers. Queen conchs have life history characteristics that make them vulnerable to fishing. For example, they require a minimum density of 50-100 adults/ha to reproduce, and so populations that fall under this density cannot replenish themselves. Furthermore, this grouping allows SCUBA/hookah divers to collect many individuals at once. Although divers hand-harvest the conchs which would allow them to avoid bycatch species by selecting only the conchs, divers sometimes collect spiny lobsters, hawksbill and green sea turtles, or West Indian topsnails opportunistically while fishing for the conchs. The green sea turtles are endangered, the hawksbill turtles are critically endangered, and the West Indian topsnails are depleted. The divers themselves do not damage the habitats during the conch harvest, but anchors from boats can be dropped onto sensitive reefs or seagrass beds. The annual US trade for conch is valued at $23 million.
Learn more about harvest methods
Not Recommended
Variety
Queen conch, Pink conch
Strombus gigas
Method
Wild
Hand harvest
Location
Caribbean Sea: Belize
Overall Rating
Summary
The queen conch fishery of the Caribbean takes place in the Bahamas, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Turks and Caicos Islands, and US Virgin Islands. They are caught by SCUBA/hookah divers or by free divers. Queen conchs have life history characteristics that make them vulnerable to fishing. For example, they require a minimum density of 50-100 adults/ha to reproduce, and so populations that fall under this density cannot replenish themselves. Furthermore, this grouping allows SCUBA/hookah divers to collect many individuals at once. Although divers hand-harvest the conchs which would allow them to avoid bycatch species by selecting only the conchs, divers sometimes collect spiny lobsters, hawksbill and green sea turtles, or West Indian topsnails opportunistically while fishing for the conchs. The green sea turtles are endangered, the hawksbill turtles are critically endangered, and the West Indian topsnails are depleted. The divers themselves do not damage the habitats during the conch harvest, but anchors from boats can be dropped onto sensitive reefs or seagrass beds. The annual US trade for conch is valued at $23 million.
Learn more about harvest methods
Not Recommended
Variety
Queen conch, Pink conch
Strombus gigas
Method
Wild
Hand harvest
Location
Northwest Atlantic: Turks and Caicos
Overall Rating
Summary
The queen conch fishery of the Caribbean takes place in the Bahamas, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Turks and Caicos Islands, and US Virgin Islands. They are caught by SCUBA/hookah divers or by free divers. Queen conchs have life history characteristics that make them vulnerable to fishing. For example, they require a minimum density of 50-100 adults/ha to reproduce, and so populations that fall under this density cannot replenish themselves. Furthermore, this grouping allows SCUBA/hookah divers to collect many individuals at once. Although divers hand-harvest the conchs which would allow them to avoid bycatch species by selecting only the conchs, divers sometimes collect spiny lobsters, hawksbill and green sea turtles, or West Indian topsnails opportunistically while fishing for the conchs. The green sea turtles are endangered, the hawksbill turtles are critically endangered, and the West Indian topsnails are depleted. The divers themselves do not damage the habitats during the conch harvest, but anchors from boats can be dropped onto sensitive reefs or seagrass beds. The annual US trade for conch is valued at $23 million.
Learn more about harvest methods
Not Recommended
Variety
Queen conch, Pink conch
Strombus gigas
Method
Wild
Diver
Location
Caribbean Sea: Puerto Rico
Overall Rating
Summary
The queen conch fishery of the Caribbean takes place in the Bahamas, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Turks and Caicos Islands, and US Virgin Islands. They are caught by SCUBA/hookah divers or by free divers. Queen conchs have life history characteristics that make them vulnerable to fishing. For example, they require a minimum density of 50-100 adults/ha to reproduce, and so populations that fall under this density cannot replenish themselves. Furthermore, this grouping allows SCUBA/hookah divers to collect many individuals at once. Although divers hand-harvest the conchs which would allow them to avoid bycatch species by selecting only the conchs, divers sometimes collect spiny lobsters, hawksbill and green sea turtles, or West Indian topsnails opportunistically while fishing for the conchs. The green sea turtles are endangered, the hawksbill turtles are critically endangered, and the West Indian topsnails are depleted. The divers themselves do not damage the habitats during the conch harvest, but anchors from boats can be dropped onto sensitive reefs or seagrass beds. The annual US trade for conch is valued at $23 million.
Learn more about harvest methods
Not Recommended
Variety
Queen conch, Pink conch
Strombus gigas
Method
Wild
Diver
Location
Northwest Atlantic:Bahamas
Overall Rating
Summary
The queen conch fishery of the Caribbean takes place in the Bahamas, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Turks and Caicos Islands, and US Virgin Islands. They are caught by SCUBA/hookah divers or by free divers. Queen conchs have life history characteristics that make them vulnerable to fishing. For example, they require a minimum density of 50-100 adults/ha to reproduce, and so populations that fall under this density cannot replenish themselves. Furthermore, this grouping allows SCUBA/hookah divers to collect many individuals at once. Although divers hand-harvest the conchs which would allow them to avoid bycatch species by selecting only the conchs, divers sometimes collect spiny lobsters, hawksbill and green sea turtles, or West Indian topsnails opportunistically while fishing for the conchs. The green sea turtles are endangered, the hawksbill turtles are critically endangered, and the West Indian topsnails are depleted. The divers themselves do not damage the habitats during the conch harvest, but anchors from boats can be dropped onto sensitive reefs or seagrass beds. The annual US trade for conch is valued at $23 million.