Growth measurements of the Queen Conch Strombus gigas

in The Turks and Caicos Islands: varying levels of reliability

LUCY P. TOMB1, 2
1

Bowdoin College, Department of Biology, 2School for Field Studies, Center for Marine Resource
Management

ABSTRACT
Strombus gigas, the Queen Conch, is an extremely valuable fishing export in the Turks
and Caicos Islands. However, complex growth of the conch results in difficulties aging the
animals and subsequently poor enforcement of fishing restrictions. To investigate the reliability
of current commonly used measurements of lip thickness, siphonal length, and dirty meat weight,
as well as investigate new possible measurements, fished Queen Conch (n=99) were measured
for lip thickness, siphonal length, dirty meat weight, clean meat weight, operculum dimensions,
and nominal/live weight. Lip thickness and siphonal length showed no correlation to one
another, though both were correlated with meat weight. The lack of correlation between the two
may be attributed to the plasticity of these traits. In agreement with a previous study on
operculum dimensions, both length and width of the operculum were significantly positively
correlated with siphonal length, and operculum width with lip thickness. These findings paired
with previous and possible further research may suggest a re-evaluation of aging strategies for
conch and possibly new regulations for conch fisheries.

INTRODUCTION
The Queen Conch, Strombus gigas, is a vital
organism in and around the greater Caribbean area
(Figure 1) where it is more than just an icon of these
countries but also heavily exploited in the fishing
industry (Thiele 2001, Stoner, et al 2012). In 1992 it
Figure 1. Distribution of Strombus gigas. From Oceana.org

was estimated that the conch fishery in the

Caribbean brought in revenue of $30 million

(McCarthy 2007). After declines in stock abundance were observed from 1985 to 1992, the
Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) listed S. gigas as an
Appendix II endangered species mandating CITES signatories to heavily monitor and regulate
their conch stocks (McCarthy 2007). In 2012, the United States was petitioned to list S. gigas as
endangered on the Endangered Species Act (Mueller and Stoner 2013). However, because of the

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complicated growth of S. gigas, size limitations are hard to implement, making regulation of this
fishery much more difficult.
Conch grow in a variety of different
ways depending on which life stage they are
in, so a single measurement of growth does
not suffice. Juvenile conch grow in siphonal
length, which is measured from the top of the
spire to the bottom of the lip of the conch
(Figure 2). As juveniles get older they get
longer, however the thickness of their lip stays
the same (Appeldoorn 1988). The siphonal length at sexual maturity has been estimated to be
249 mm for females and 234 mm for males (Avila-Poveda and Baquiero-Cardenas 2006). Once
the conch reaches adulthood siphonal length stops increasing, the lip beings to flare and the lip
thickness beings to increase (Figure 2). This happens when the conch is about 3-4 years old
(Avila-Poveda and Baquiero-Cardenas 2006, Appeldoorn 1990, Mueller and Stoner 2013).
Sometimes sexual maturity can lag up to 2 years after the lip begins to flare (Stoner, et al 2012).
Usually, an individual is thought to be mature when the lip thickness has grown to 5 mm and
cannot be sexually mature before the lip thickness is 2 mm (Avila-Poveda and BaquieroCardenas 2006). As conch get very old, erosion can cause their siphonal length to decrease
(Thiele 2001). Because of this, juveniles are most accurately aged by measuring siphonal length,
while adults are most accurately aged using lip thickness (Cardenas and Aranda 2013).
Appeldoorn determined two equations to calculate age, the first using length-frequency analysis
and the second using growth-increment data (1990):

Appeldoorn also created an equation to determine age using lip thickness (1988):

Using these equations, it is possible to calculate the age of conch when they are still in their
shell, but it is important to consider cases in which the shell is not available.

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The growth of the shell is currently the most widely used way to measure age and
maturity of conch but this presents an array of problems for fisheries managers and biologists
alike. Most conch fishers knock the conch (remove the meat from the shell) on the boats,
leaving the shells in the ocean and only landing the conch meat and tailings. Without the shell
the conch is hard to age and any shell-based size or age restrictions cannot be enforced unless
there is an obvious mismatch (Avila-Poveda and Baquiero-Cardenas 2006).
The shell growth of the conch is also extremely plastic (Thiele 2001, Delgado, et al 2002,
McCarthy 2007). Conch that grow slower have thicker shells and shorter siphonal lengths, and it
is seen that conch that are heavily predated on, for example, grow slower so that their shells will
be thicker and more protective (Delgado, et al 2002). A conch exposed often to predation will
have a much different siphonal length and lip thickness than one of the same age that is exposed
to less predation. It is thought that this is due to the fact that conch exposed to predation spend
less energy moving because they bury themselves in the sand and protect their meat by not lifting
their shells to move. By remaining sedentary these conch have their mantel away from the
growing opening of the shell and instead deeper in the shell so calcium carbonate is deposited on
this inside of the shell making it thicker instead of longer (Delgado 2002). Other abiotic factors
can have an effect on growth rate, for example, conch have slower growth as depth increases
(McCarthy 2007). Habitat and food can also affect growth rates (Stoner, et al 2012).
Consequently shell thickness and siphonal growth can vary significantly over very small spatial
scales (Cardenas and Aranda 2013, McCarthy 2007, Clerveaux, et al 2005). Shell length at
maturity can also change with fishing pressure (Stoner, et al 2012). Essentially, shell growth is
so variable and plastic that it can be very misleading when aging conch.
Meat weight can also be used to calculate age, which is helpful when the shell is
unavailable, but this measurement comes with its own set of problems (Cardenas and Aranda
2013). Though juvenile conch have predictable meat growth as they develop, adult conch have
relatively constant body weight because as the shell starts to thicken, there is no room for them to
grow any larger (McCarthy 2007, Stoner, et al 2012). The oldest conch tend to have smaller
body sizes than their younger counterparts as the shell has reduced interior volume because of
their thick shells (Figure 2)(McCarthy 2007, Stoner, et al 2012). Meat weight, like shell growth
is a highly variable characteristic and therefore does offer a very accurate calculation of age.

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A relatively unexplored method of aging conch uses the

operculum, which has been found to be very accurate. Operculum striae
are used in Japan to age large gastropods, but the concentric circles that
show growth are not visible in tropical gastropods as they are in temperate
regions like Japan (Mueller and Stoner 2013). In a 2007 study, Uneputty
used operculum length to successfully age the tropical marine gastropod
Nerita undata. The operculum stops growth at sexual maturity as the shell
does, though can begin to erode as the animal ages (Mueller and Stoner
2013). Mueller and Stoner (2013) were able to correctly predict the sexual
maturity of 86% of the queen conch they sampled using two operculum
measurements: the length (OL) and the width (OW) (Figure 3).
Conch is a particularly important export in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), bringing
in an estimate of $3.8 - $5 million a year and has been fished since the Lucayans arrived almost
1,000 years ago. The current yearly quota for conch meat in the TCI is 800,000 pounds with
500,000 for export and 300,000 for local use. With a significant decline in conch stock from
2001 to 2008, it may be crucial for the Department of Environmental and Maritime Affairs
(DEMA) to set new limitations on the conch fishery (DEMA 2012/2013). Limitations on size of
conch paired with enforcement could be important to a compromise between fishermen and
DEMA, but as the conch in the TCI are knocked before landing, understanding measurements
other than shell dimensions to estimate age is imperative. Asking fishers to land the conch with
their shells is unreasonable because they make significantly more money without the extra
weight and space that shells would take up, and it may actually be safer in the small boats they
dont carry the shells with them (Thiele 2001). This research attempts to compare methods of
aging and analyze their accuracy in the Turks and Caicos Islands, specifically off the coast of
South Caicos.

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METHODS
Queen Conch (n=99) were collected off the coast of South Caicos, Turks and Caicos in
October and November 2014. The conch were all collected by two fishermen from all around
the island. Eight measurements were taken for each conch landed; measurements were lip
thickness, siphonal length, nominal/live weight, dirty meat weight, clean meat weight, length of
operculum, and width of operculum.
Measurements were taken on seven days within a 28-day period. Each of the conch were
taken from their shell and cleaned by either a worker at the processing plant Caicos Fisheries
Ltd. or by the fisher who caught them.
Siphonal length for each conch was measured in centimeters using a yardstick from the
tip of the spire to the end of the lip of the conch (Figure 2). Lip thickness was measured using
Vernier calipers at the middle of the lip, avoiding ridges (Figure 2). Nominal/live weight was
measured in kilograms by weighing the conch before it was knocked. Meat weights were
measured in grams on an electronic balance. Dirty meat weight included the entire animal out of
the shell. Clean meat weight was measured after the conch was cleaned for sale. Operculum
measurements were taken with a small Vernier caliper, measurements were taken in millimeters.
Operculum length was measured from the tip of the operculum to the base of the operculum.
Operculum width was the greatest width where the operculum was attached to the meat (Figure
3).
Statistical analyses for linear regressions were conducted in GraphPad Prism 6.
Relationships between measurements were all analyzed with linear regression. Normality of
frequency distribution of siphonal length, lip thickness, nominal and dirty weight, operculum
length and width were all tested with a Shapiro-Wilk test using JMP software.
Simultaneous research was done on the conch by Libby Humpal and Shayna Cohen with
which I assisted. Research was done to investigate conch responses to the shells of knocked
conch in the East Harbor Conch and Lobster reserve. Cleaning data was also taken for conch
brought into the processing plant.

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RESULTS
Correlation was found between
operculum measurements and shell
measurements. Operculum width (OW) and
Operculum Length (OL) were both
significantly positively correlated with
siphonal length (OW: R2 = 0.2576, P <
0.0001, df = 97; OL: R2 = 0.1651, P < 0.0001,
df = 97) (Figure 4). OW was positively
correlated with lip thickness (R2 = 0.2039, P <
0.0001, df = 97) (Figure 5), but the correlation
between OL and lip thickness was not
significant and therefore those results are not
shown (R2 = 0.02671, P = 0.1060, df = 97).
There was no significant correlation
between siphonal length and lip thickness (R2
= 0.005070, P =0.4837, df = 97) (Figure 6).
To determine whether lip thickness and
siphonal length would correlate when
separated by location caught, the two fishing
locations were separated and analyzed
separately, one at the North end of the island
and one at the south. Neither location showed
significant correlation between lip thickness and siphonal length (North: R2 = 0.03640, P =
0.1011, df = 73; South: R2 = 0.009082, P = 0.6578, df = 22) (Figure 6).
There was also correlation found between dirty meat weight and physical measurements.
Dirty meat weight was significantly positively correlated with both OL (R2 = 0.2072, P < 0.0001)
and OW (R2 = 0.5084, P < 0.0001, df = 97) (Figure 7). Dirty meat weight was also significantly
positively correlated to siphonal length (R2 = 0.2885, P < 0.0001, df = 97) and lip thickness (R2 =
0.09665, P=0.0017, df = 97) (Figure 8).

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Frequency distributions were

found to be normal for siphonal length
(P = 0.9592), operculum width (P =
0.1851), and nominal/live weight (P =
0.2055), and dirty meat weight (P =
0.0723). Distribution was not normal in
the case of lip thickness (P < 0.0001) or
operculum length (P = 0.0007). Clean
meat weight was not used in this study,
it was used instead in a simultaneous
study done by Libby Humpal.

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DISCUSSION

In this study, relationships and correlations between Queen Conch measurements

were examined, comparing both current standard aging measurements and less researched
measurements. The most widely used measurements for aging conch: lip thickness and
siphonal length, were not found to be correlated to one another, which was unexpected.
Even when the siphonal length and lip thickness were separated by two general fishing
locations, there was no significant trend. Meat weight, on the other hand, was significantly
positively correlated with both siphonal length and lip thickness. Operculum dimensions of

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length and width, which recently have been suggested to be accurate aging measurements,
were also found to be significantly positively correlated to accepted aging measurements of
dirty meat weight, siphonal length, and lip thickness, with the exception of operculum
length and lip thickness which were not significantly correlated. These findings support
previous data that links operculum dimensions to shell dimensions and goes further to
suggest that operculum growth is also a good indicator of meat weight of the conch. The
lack of correlation between lip thickness and siphonal length support the plasticity of these
traits due to environment, and may suggest that these are less accurate measurements of
growth than other characteristics of the conch.

The accepted theory of conch growth is that siphonal length grows in juvenile conch,

while lip thickness remains constant, and then when the conch reaches maturity siphonal
length stops growing and the lip starts to thicken (Avila-Poveda and Baquiero-Cardenas
2006, Appeldoorn 1990, Mueller and Stoner 2013). However, if conch matured at relatively
the same siphonal length, a significant correlation between siphonal length and lip
thickness would be seen. Once siphonal length reached a certain point lip thickness would
start to increase. This study found no such correlation and even a brief look at the figure
shows an extreme range of lip thicknesses to siphonal length (Figure 6). As of now, the
accepted siphonal length of an adult conch is 249 mm for female conch and 239 for male
conch, and the minimum accepted lip thickness for adult conch is 2mm (Avila-Poveda and
Baquiero-Cardenas 2006). Our data suggests that these numbers may not be very reliable,
with conch under 200 mm (20 cm) having lip thicknesses over 15 mm, safely suggesting
they are mature, and conch over 250mm having lip thicknesses under 2 mm suggesting
they are immature. Even when the conch are separated by where they are caught to try
and account for large differences in habitat, no correlation is found, suggesting that these
traits are so plastic that conch within a small rage of each other can grow quite differently.
Factors like predation and depth can have a large effect on the growth rate of conch shells
and can leave two conch of the same age with two very different shell morphologies
depending on environment (Delagdo, et al 2002, McCarthy 2007, Stoner, et al 2012). The
2012/2013 Turks and Caicos minimum siphonal length for the conch fishery was 17.8 cm
(7 inches), all the conch used in this study exceeded this siphonal length but more than
16% had lip thicknesses of under 2 mm safely suggesting that they were juveniles
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(Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs 2012/2013). Other studies put

adulthood at a lip thickness of 13.5, which only 28% of the conch in this study meet (Avila-
Poveda and Baquiero-Cardenas 2006). Ultimately, these measurements may not be a
stable enough measurement of maturity.

This data suggests that meat weight, the alternative measure of maturity in The

Turks and Caicos fisheries, is significantly correlated to siphonal length and lip thickness.
This may be attributed to the fact that siphonal length and lip thickness both contribute
directly to the area within the shell that the conch can grow. Lip thickness, though
correlated with meat weight, had a relatively low confidence level compared to siphonal
length. This may be due to the fact that as the lip thickens the space for the conch to grow
within decreases even though the conch is aging (McCarthy 2007, Stoner, et al 2012).

The positive correlation of operculum length and width to siphonal length found in

this study supports Mueller and Stoners findings from The Bahamas (2013). Mueller and
Stoner did not find correlation between operculum dimensions and lip thickness, while this
study found a significant positive correlation between operculum width and lip thickness,
though this correlation had a lower confidence level than when operculum dimensions
were compared to siphonal lengths. In addition, a significant positive correlation between
operculum length and width and dirty meat weight furthers the idea that operculum are a
reliable measure of age. These findings offer more evidence to the suggestion that
operculum dimensions could be an accurate measure of conch growth, and could possibly
reduce or remove the need for fishermen to land conch in their shells in order to age them.
It is important to consider, however, that operculum length erodes as the conch ages, so
correlations including OL may break down at older ages (Mueller and Stoner 2013). Many
of the operculum measured for this study were visibly eroded so this may be a less reliable
measurement than operculum width.

In summary, the data in this study suggests that lip thickness and siphonal length of

Queen conch may be less correlated than previously assumed and supports and furthers
data that suggests that operculum dimensions could be a reliable and accurate measure of
conch growth. Using the operculum to measure conch growth could have huge
implications in the Queen conch fisheries all over the Caribbean. While not only
eliminating the need for shells to be landed with conch meat in order to enforce
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regulations, setting operculum limits could allow fishers to check maturity before the conch
is removed from the shell, and allow undersized conch to be thrown back and continue
growing. Restrictions that require the conch to be dead or out of the shellfor
measurements to be taken, like dirty meat weight limits, are less effective because
undersized conch cannot be thrown back and survive. Further research needs to be done
to expand the amount of data and increase confidence level in these correlations and also
diversify the locations in which these measurements are examined. Also, this research,
since it was done with fishermen, did not include very small conch, which could have an
effect on data. Research including a wider range of conch sizes may be important. With
further research, the correlation between operculum and growth could lead to an easier to
regulate and subsequently more sustainable conch fishery, which could have important
implications on the future policies of this currently unstable fishery.


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Funding and vehicles for this project were provided by the School for Field Studies.

I am grateful to Kathy Lockhart who suggested this project idea, and was immensely
helpful in writing and editing this paper. In addition, I am grateful to Shayna Cohen and
Libby Humpal who assisted in field research, and were valuable proof readers.

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Avila-Poveda OH and Baquiero-Cardenas ER (2006). Size at sexual maturity in the queen
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Cardenas EB and Aranda DA (2013). Growth parameters and density variation of a queen
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Clerveaux W, Danylchuk AJ, and Clerveaux V (2005). Variation in queen conch shell
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