There are definite signs of recovery in the Pink Conch (Lobatus Gigas) population in Cozumel according to the President of the Cozumel Fisherman’s Cooperative. Due to it’s culinary popularity, overfishing and sand extraction, the species was in serious danger of extinction. On January 30th 2009 the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (Sagarpa) imposed a ban on the harvesting of Queen Conch, or Pink Conch, as it is also known until 2017.
One of the largest obstacles the embargo faces is poachers. While several island restaurants continue to serve conch, it’s important to note, that Belizean conch is imported into Quintana Roo, which means that as long as the conch came from Belize – the embargo isn’t broken. If you’re insistent on eating conch, please check and make sure that it was, in fact, purchased from Belize, and not poached from the area.
If you happen to see poachers, or individuals removing other forms of protected species that you contact the Marine Park authorities.
This story originally appeared in the weekly Cozumel 4 You NEWS – the island’s number one source of positive information about our island! Be sure and subscribe to the weekly NEWS to find out all the island events!…
An ex-Connecticut Yankee who has called Cozumel home for over 18 years, Laura ran away to the Caribbean years ago, bumped around the islands teaching SCUBA diving, lost some time in Jamaica, and finally stopped in Cozumel for a 2 week vacation that hasn’t ended yet. With a degree in Journalism from a fancy private college she convinced her parents to pay for, Laura writes, edits, and creates the weeklyCozumel 4 You news,social media, and promotional articles about the island, as well as moderates the Cozumel 4 You Facebook group, which currently has over 25,000 members. Her long suffering husband, Fabian, has long since resigned himself to having zero private life, as he’s been involved in her various schemes and plots since his arrival. Proud parents to a variety of rescue dogs and cats, Laura continues to be the bane of her traditional Mexican mother-in-law’s existence, as she muses her way through life in the Mexican Caribbean.
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Una ex yanqui de Connecticut quien llama hogar a Cozumel desde hace más de 15 años. Laura escapó al Caribe hace años, desplazándose de una isla a otra dando clases de BUCEO. Se dedicó a perder el tiempo en Jamaica y finalmente se detuvo en Cozumel para pasar unas vacaciones de 2 semanas que aún no terminan. Convenciendo a sus padres que pagaran una elegante universidad privada, obtuvo su título en Periodismo y Laura crea semanalmente Cozumel 4You, medios sociales y artículos promocionales sobre la Isla y también es moderadora en el grupo Cozumel 4 You en Facebook que actualmente cuenta con 25,000 miembros. Fabián, s umuy tolerante marido, desde hace mucho tiempo se resignó a no tener vida privada, pues se ha visto implicado en los diversos proyectos y planes que urde Laura. Son orgullosos padres de diversos perros y gatos rescatados. Mientras contempla su paso a través de la vida en el Caribe mexicano,Laura continúa siendo la pesadilla en la existencia de su muy tradicional suegra mexicana.
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