Is It a Good Idea to Take a Conch Shell From the Beach?

Main Takeaways

If you've ever held a stunning conch shell to your ear to "listen" to the ocean, you may have thought that was the full extent of the conch experience. In reality, that’s only a small part of the fascinating journey of this cherished marine creature. While some may know that an animal once lived inside such shells, few realize how intricate the conch's development is, not to mention that it's now facing a critical struggle for survival.

What Is Conch?

Although various species exist, the most famous is undoubtedly the Strombus gigas, also known as the ConchBrochure.pdf">queen conch (pronounced "konk."). It's easily identified by its signature large, spiral shell, typically with a pale pink or orange interior. Inside a live conch shell is a mollusk, a soft-bodied sea snail. Conchs move by dragging themselves along the seafloor with a foot or horn.

The conch as a whole is incredibly valuable. "The top of the shell is often removed and used as a horn for signaling," emails Martha Davis, director of conch.org/">Community Conch, a nonprofit organization dedicated to conch conservation in the Bahamas. "Conchs are treasured not only for their shell but also for their meat. For centuries, they have been a vital food source across the Caribbean."

Shell collectors also admire them for their beauty, notes Dr. Ana Carolina Peralta Brichtova, a professor at Universidad Simon Bolivar in Caracas, Venezuela. "Historically, Strombus gigas has been highly valued, as indigenous pre-Columbian civilizations used their meat for food and their shells for ornaments, horns, and trade."

Conchs are indigenous to stunning habitats like the Bahamas, Bermuda, the Florida Keys, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Jamaica, and other Caribbean islands. Some species also reside along the South American coast and in the Mediterranean. When a male and female conch are close to one another, they mate, producing a mass of about 400,000 eggs, according to Davis. "The eggs hatch after around five days and then float on the currents for three weeks before settling in a suitable environment," Davis explains. The queen conch, when given the chance, can live up to 40 years! Its growth is gradual but steady, taking several years.

"This slow growth rate makes them susceptible to fishers who mistakenly believe they are mature simply because of their size," says Davis. "Paper-thin lips indicate the conch is not yet sexually mature." A fully mature conch boasts a large shell adorned with spines and a thick, flaring lip. This is the primary way to tell the difference between young and adult conchs.

Why Conchs Are in Trouble

The conch's popularity as a delicacy, coupled with its desirable shell, makes it vulnerable to overfishing. This risk is heightened by the subtle difference between the thin-lipped juvenile (which should not be harvested) and the thick-lipped adult.

The primary issue, according to Davis, is that the current harvest guidelines are outdated and do not reflect newer scientific findings which state that the lip must reach a thickness of 15 millimeters (about half an inch) before a conch is considered mature (usually around ages 4 or 5). "Most conchs are harvested well before they reach that age, causing their populations to decline as they haven't had the opportunity to reproduce," she explains. "If too many conchs are taken from an area, and the population shrinks, they won't be able to find mates."

Conch populations have already been depleted in areas where they once thrived, particularly in the Florida Keys, where harvesting was banned decades ago, yet their numbers still haven't rebounded. In parts of the Caribbean, regulations have been implemented to limit overfishing. However, this remains a significant issue due to weak enforcement, illegal poaching across borders, and high demand for conch as an export, according to Davis.

Other threats stem from broader environmental issues. "The ocean is facing habitat loss from climate change and chemical pollution, which are additional dangers for these creatures," says Peralta Brichtova. "Strombus gigas is listed on CITES, and the [International Union for Conservation of Nature] is closely monitoring its status." CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, considers the conch to be "not currently at risk of extinction but could become so without trade restrictions."

Reversing the Conch Catastrophe

Conchs play an essential role in the ocean ecosystem as herbivores and as prey. "When large, healthy populations of conchs inhabit nursery grounds, they help maintain seagrass meadows by removing excess algae and organic debris that can stunt seagrass growth," says Davis. "Additionally, small conchs serve as a crucial food source for a wide range of invertebrates such as shrimp, crabs, and lobsters, as well as numerous fish species and sea turtles."

As mentioned earlier, the Florida Keys halted its conch harvesting industry in the 1980s and established marine preserves to help the population recover. Unfortunately, this approach has not been successful. As a result, experts are now recommending stricter measures to prevent the Caribbean from facing the same fate. Davis mentions that the Bahamas took steps to reduce conch exports in 2019, with plans to completely phase it out by 2024.

However, in many parts of the Caribbean, these recommendations are not being consistently followed. "Some countries have yet to update outdated harvesting regulations. Others have the necessary rules, but enforcement is lacking," Davis explains. "More progressive nations set quotas or limits, halting fishing once the limit is reached; however, this method is not always enough to halt the decline of mature conch populations."

Should You Take Home a Conch Shell?

If you've made it this far, you probably already know the answer: Leave it where it is, unless you're certain it's empty. People have been arrested in Florida for taking live conchs from the beach or the ocean. "Fishing for conch is illegal in Florida, and bringing conch shells into the U.S. from the Bahamas is prohibited," says Davis. "[It's] best to enjoy conch from a live stand where you can see that the conch you're eating has a thick lip, meaning it’s had time to reproduce."