Importing Queen Conch

What You Need to Know

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

What is prohibited?

Queen conch, with its beautiful pink shell

and tasty meat, has become a symbol of

the Caribbean region where it is found on

beaches, restaurant menus, and in

souvenir shops. Be aware, however, that

the United States currently prohibits

import of queen conch (including meat,

shells, live animals, and products made

from queen conch) from Antigua and

Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica,

Dominican Republic, Haiti, Honduras,

and Trinidad and Tobago. This action is

part of a global conservation effort under

the Convention on International Trade in

Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and

Flora (CITES) to stem continued and

significant declines in queen conch

populations. Before trade can resume

with these countries, they must

implement specific long-term

conservation measures to sustainably

manage queen conch populations in their

waters.

How does CITES regulate queen conch?

Queen conch was listed in Appendix II of

CITES in1992. Appendix II includes

species that, although currently not

threatened with extinction, may become

so without trade controls. CITES

regulates international trade through a

system of permits designed to ensure

that trade is legal and will not threaten

the species’ survival in the wild.

What makes queen conch vulnerable?

Queen conch (Strombus gigas) is an

edible marine snail that occurs

throughout the Caribbean Sea, including

Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin

Islands, into the Gulf of Mexico, and in

the Atlantic Ocean around Bermuda. It is

heavily fished for its meat, and the shells

and pearls are sought by collectors and

for jewelry. Because these animals are

slow growing, late to mature (3-5 years),

and tend to aggregate in shallow water to

spawn, they are particularly vulnerable

to over-fishing.

What other steps is the U.S. taking?

Steps have been taken to conserve U.S.

native populations of queen conch. All

harvest in Florida waters and adjacent

Federal waters has been banned since

the mid-1980s. Populations in Puerto

Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are

managed under local regulations and a

Fishery Management Plan for queen

conch developed by the Caribbean

Fishery Management Council. The U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA’s

National Marine Fisheries Service, and

Department of State are also committed

to working with the international

community to ensure that queen conch

remains a sustainable and valuable

commercial resource throughout the

Caribbean region.

What is allowed?

You may import queen conch into the

United States from parts of the

Caribbean not subject to the trade

prohibitions, provided it is allowed by the

country of export and it is accompanied

by any required CITES documents.

Countries from which import may be

allowed include: Anguilla, Aruba,

Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, Brazil,

British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands,

Colombia, Costa Rica, Grenada,

Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Jamaica,

Mexico, Montserrat, the Netherlands

Antilles, Nicaragua, Panama, Saint Kitts

and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and

the Grenadines, Turks and Caicos, and

Venezuela. Please contact the CITES

Management Authority in the country

from which you wish to export

(www.cites.org/common/directy/

e_directy.html) for information on

additional restrictions or regulations that

may apply. For information on how to

import wildlife, including queen conch,

please contact the port of entry nearest

you. Contact information for wildlife

ports is available from the U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service Office of Law

Enforcement at www.le.fws.gov or by

calling 703-358-1949.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

International Affairs

Division of Management Authority

4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 700

Arlington, VA 22203

703/358-2104 or 800/358-2104

Fax 703/358-2281

e-mail:

managementauthority@fws.gov

http://international.fws.gov

http://permits.fws.gov

Fall 2003