The largest molluscan fishery in the Caribbean is queen conch Aliger gigas. High demand for conch meat, coupled with overharvesting and degradation of coastal seagrass habitats, has led to substantial declines in certain populations . For example, queen conch populations remain very low in Florida despite total closure since 1986. In T he Bahamas, where conch serves as a crucial protein source for local consumption and generates significant revenue, the fishery is experiencing a decline in many areas and product export is now banned . Local regulations, along with queen conch being a CITES Appendix II species, provide a framework for sustainable fishery management . However, NOAA Fisheries has recently proposed a rule to list the queen conch as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act to prevent th is important seagrass ecosystem and fishery species from reaching endangered status.
FAU Harbor Branch Queen Conch Lab’s vision is to establish a queen conch farm in every Caribbean country as one of many solutions to assist with restoration. This vision started in 2019 with a partnership SK NOAA- funded queen conch hatchery at a Puerto Rico Fishing Association. Soon after, a queen conch hatchery was launched at the Curaçao Sea Aquarium. Since this time, the concept of Mobile Queen Conch Labs was conceived to reach more locations . The first Mobile Lab concept was developed and built for Great Exuma, Bahamas, in a partnership between Dr. Megan Davis of FAU and Catherine Booker of Bahamas National Trust, with funding from the Richard Schneider Trust. With support from Builders Initiative, two M obile Labs will be established at the Queen Conch Mariculture Center in Grand Bahama, in close partnership with Blue Action Lab . As part of this funding, a M obile L ab will also be stationed at the Harbor Branch Aquaculture Park for international training purposes . Additional Mobile Labs are underway for Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Great Exuma . The Mobile Queen Conch Lab Hatchery (20’ x 8’) is fully equipped to grow queen conch from egg mass stage to early juvenile stage, with the capacity to grow up to 2,000 conch per year. The lab is designed to operate on solar power with backup batteries and an inverter. The saltwater growing systems can be water flow-through or recirculation. Key components include an egg mass incubation tank, larval rearing tanks with aeration, metamorphosis tanks, and a microalgae culture area. The Mobile Labs are installed by ocean engineers and scientists at FAU and then shipped to the various Caribbean locations.