Doerr, J.

Recovery of conch populations in the U.S. Virgin Islands

2010

NOAA NMFS

Final Report

"Throughout the Caribbean, queen conch (Strombus gigas) are considered a species of concern under the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) due to basin-wide stock depletions. Research suggests that a variety of factors may be responsible, although few of these studies have addressed issues specific to the ecology of shallow water habitats surrounding the U.S. Virgin Islands. Historically, queen conch populations in these areas have been slated to be overfished. Although regulatory cut-backs in fishing have been instituted, populations show little sign of recovery. The goal of this project is to examine a suite of factors reflecting habitat quality and juvenile distributions to develop information necessary to guide management decisions regarding queen conch populations in the U.S. Virgin Islands and its surrounding waters."

CRCP Project ID 1873; Project Title: Recovery of Conch Populations in the U.S. Virgin Islands; Principal Investigator: Jennifer Doerr