Conch exports brought in over $5 million to the Bahamas in 2018. The sea snail is an important part of the country’s economy, and fresh conch salad is a cultural icon of the islands.
The government is considering new regulations to protect the marine animal, but many Bahamians fear that these laws will harm their livelihoods.
People won’t be able to feed their families because a lot of people make money off of it everyday, said Champ Strachan, owner of It’s Aboat Time Charters.
The hunt for conch begins in search of dark grey water, a sign of the animal’s hunting grounds.
You go to the right spot, you will meet them there like a whole ant’s nest, said diver Shane Lionel Williams.
On a good day, Williams can pick up 800 to 1,000 conchs in one trip. But right now, it’s hard to find that many in the water. The grassy areas where the snails like to feed are pretty empty.
Stormy season is always a challenge for the conch industry. Fishermen can’t go out as often, the water gets muddy, and conchs aren’t in their usual places. This year, Hurricane Dorian made things even more difficult.
They’re so displaced right now because of the weather, explained Strachan.
Overfishing has also been an issue. Conchs take three to five years to reach reproductive maturity, and they rely on spawning groups of at least 50 in order to mate. Since there is no conch season in the Bahamas and no limit to how many snails a fisherman can catch per day the population has struggled to grow.
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