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Conservation benefit: Restoration of the threatened Queen conch

Community benefit: Environmental education and eventually, a sustainable fishery in Lac Bay

Date Approved: 02.2023

Ocean

This project protects ocean ecosystems, making coastal communities more economically and physically secure in the face of climate change.

The beautiful Queen conch, a mollusk that can grow almost a foot long and weigh up to six pounds, is a symbol of the Caribbean. It also keeps seagrass and coral reefs healthy by grazing on macro algae and organic matter. But the species is prized both for its meat and for its glossy shells, and overfishing has led to significant population declines. The species is now classified as threatened. On Bonaire, adults and juveniles are illegally harvested—especially in shallow Lac Bay, where they are easy to gather.

To restore the once-large Queen conch population in the bay, cultured year-old juveniles will be put into the existing natural populations. Lac Bay, which covers 1,730 acres and has mangrove and seagrass habitats, is a refuge for other threatened and endangered species. It is part of the Bonaire National Marine Park and is a designated wetland of international significance.

Our project partner, the Bonaire National Parks Foundation, manages Bonaire’s nature parks for the government. They will reach out to educate local fisherfolk, park rangers, and schoolchildren. They will also hire fisherfolk, who know more about the Queen conch than anyone else on the island and have a strong incentive to see that the fishery is restored, to monitor and protect the outplanted juveniles. This makes use of their skills and reduces the financial pressure that leads to overfishing.

With a successful repopulation effort, the Queen conch population in Lac Bay could be large and stable enough to support sustainable harvesting in five to 10 years. This would not only give people local, high-quality protein, but also bring back a creature that has rich cultural and ecological significance in the islands.

Project Updates

June 2024

In February, our project partners got a permit to transfer juvenile Queen conchs to Bonaire from Curaçao. The juvenile conchs, released into the protected area in Lac Bay, are doing well, though octopuses and rays prey on them. Another batch arrived in April. Fishers cooperatives in Curaçao and Bonaire played a role in making the transfer happen, which is a good sign for future engagement.

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February 2024

Bureaucracy has delayed the start of this project. The juvenile Queen conchs come from a hatchery in Curaçao, and new federal laws require a permit to transport them to Bonaire. Our project partners hope to get a permit early in 2024. Meanwhile, they are gathering data from the conch project on Curaçao about conch food and habitat preferences, predation, and optimal age for outplanting.

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