The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

The Queen Conch is approaching extinction in The Bahamas. A bold statement? Hardly!

The science clearly states that we are watching a continuing decline in conch populations year after year. Worse, we know that conch require a certain number of individuals in a given area to successfully reproduce.

I find it incredible that people who claim to “follow the science” are unable to see how we are dooming the remnants of our remaining Queen Conch population to extinction. Even a casual look at the status of conch in the Caribbean should be enough to convince the responsible thinking individual of the urgent need to end the export of conch from The Bahamas.

I suppose it is all tied together. The love of money, the poor educational outcomes, petty politics, and a lack of vision beyond our own selfish, short lives.

We show no concern for being good stewards of God’s creation. We seem to have no concern for future generations of Bahamians. We refuse to imagine our country without this important food source.

Our Fisheries experts repeatedly exhibit their own professional failings, and assumed ignorance. They seem to not care that our national food security is being sold at rock bottom prices to foreigners. They seem not to read the science. Or, perhaps they do not understand it. Conch are disappearing and are in danger of becoming extinct. How compromised do you have to be not to see this?

“Conch have been depleted by heavy harvesting to the point of emergency throughout much of their range.” Nixon Griffis – January, 1983.

“One recently-published paper predicts overfishing could spell an end to Bahamian conchs in as little as 10 years.” National Geographic - January, 2019.

“Overfishing is being blamed for plummeting ocean stocks which saw conch off the menu at several restaurants across Providenciales.” BBC News - Feb. 2020.

“The queen conch (Strombus gigas) is a prized delicacy long harvested for food and is revered for its beautiful shell. Second only to the spiny lobster, it is one of the most important benthic fisheries in the Caribbean region. Unfortunately, the species faces a challenge of survival: how to endure and thrive, as populations are in a steady state of decline from overfishing, habitat degradation and hurricane damage. In some places, the conch populations have dwindled so low that the remaining conch cannot find breeding partners. This dire situation is urgent in ecological and economic terms.” Science Daily – Feb. 2021

“But new research finds that the queen conch (Strombus gigas), economically important as food and for its decorative shell, is facing unprecedented fishing pressure throughout its Caribbean range.” Mongabay - Feb. 2018.

There is almost nowhere a science-oriented person could look where the alarm bells are not sounding.

Yet, we still have people in positions of power who seem in denial of, perhaps ignorant of, the true science regarding the Queen Conch.

The representatives of the fish houses (stakeholders as they are called) see only money. So, we cannot expect a reasonable, educated and responsible position from them. They seem willing to sell out the country for their own short-term profits. How else to see it?

We talk about education. Yet here, where critical thinking and wisdom should meet, we cannot even recognise and admit that the export of conch should be banned immediately. This is a national failure.

It seems as if we have no responsible national leadership whatsoever.

“When there is no vision, the people perish.” Proverbs 29:18.

Can there be a better example of a lack of vision than allowing the continued export of conch from our Bahamian waters?

NORMAN TRABULSY Jr

Mangrove Cay,

Andros.

April 26, 2023.