World Aquaculture December 2020

WWW.WA S.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • DECEMBER 2020 41 take place. For follow-on studies in this same MPA, we plan on using similar methods to investigate topics such as how conch density affects nutrient and carbon cycling in the seagrass ecosystem and influences reproductive activities. With queen conch stocks in severe decline throughout the Caribbean, breeding stocks should be conserved at high densities to ensure reproductive success for the longevity of the species (Stoner et al. 2019). In areas that have been completely overfished, thereby increasing the difficulty of conch finding mates, we recommend repopulating MPAs with queen conch adults as a way to protect breeding populations as one solution to address the decline of this species. Notes Laura Issac Norton graduated with an M.S. degree in Marine Science and Oceanography from Florida Atlantic University in May 2020. Her major advisor was Megan Davis, Research Professor at Florida Atlantic University, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, 5600 US 1 North, Ft. Pierce, FL 34946 USA. Catherine Booker, founder and managing director of Green Island Blue Ocean, LLC and former project manager and educator at The Exuma Foundation, lives on Great Exuma, Bahamas and was a partner on the project. Corresponding authors (Fig. 13): Laura Issac Norton (lissac@fau. edu) and Megan Davis (mdavi105@fau.edu ) We thank Carlton Taylor II, Bahamian Intern from The Exuma Foundation who worked on the project, Dive Exuma for assistance during the project, and The Bahamas National Trust and The Bahamas Department of Marine Recourses for collaboration and research permit approval. This study was funded by Florida Atlantic University Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute and The Exuma Foundation. References Davis, M. 2005. Species Profile Queen Conch, Strombus gigas . Southern Regional Aquaculture Center 7203:1-12. Delgado, G.A., C.T. Bartlels and R.A. Glazer. 2004. Translocation as a strategy to rehabilitate the queen conch ( Strombus gigas ) population in the Florida Keys. Fishery Bulletin 102:278-288. Stoner, A.W., M.H. Davis and A.S. Kough. 2019. Relationships between fishing pressure and stock structure in queen conch ( Lobatus gigas ) populations: Synthesis of long-term surveys and evidence for overfishing in The Bahamas. Reviews in Fisheries Science and Aquaculture 27(1):51-71. species over time, which included many known conch predators such as green turtles, southern stingrays and octopuses. The enclosure and conch were placed in a historical breeding habitat during spawning season with an expectation that egg masses would be laid. This was not the case in this study despite similar temperature, conch density, depth, and food availability to other enclosure studies in the Caribbean where egg masses were laid. Handling stress from fishing and tagging may have caused the conch to resorb their gonads. A similar effect was observed in the Florida Keys, where conch in nearshore waters exposed to temperature extremes, poor food quality and anthropogenic effects had reduced gonad development. However, when those conch were translocated to offshore sites with cleaner water and cooler temperatures, reproductive tissues began to develop in just three months (Delgado et al. 2004). Conch spent most of their time feeding in dense seagrass, which provided themwith energy that was used to overcome handling stress and repair the holes in their shells (Fig. 12) rather than being allocated to gametogenesis. In the future, adult conch should be placed into enclosures about three months before the breeding season starts so that they can recover from stress and gametogenesis can FIGURE 11. Conch grazing on epiphytes on the enclosure mesh and seagrass blades (Photo: Laura Issac Norton). FIGURE 12. A conch with a hole in its shell at the beginning of the study and a conch with a healed hole at the end of the study (Photos: Laura Issac Norton and Megan Davis). FIGURE 13. Co-authors Megan Davis (left) and Laura Issac Norton (right) with tagged conch used in the study (Photo: Catherine Booker).