Conch Farm

[SamFamAustin]

Believe it or not, I'm supposed to be working. Boring! Happy Hour! How about a conch farm like they do in the Turks and Caicos?

I'm not pushing any agenda, except that Queen Conch are severely endangered and we all want more of them - to watch, collect dead shells, or most likely, to eat. "Ocean escargot" they are called, commanding about $20 US per pound on the markets these days for the meat. One small farm in the Turks and Caicos produces 200,000 pounds a year of three-year harvested conch meat. Not bad in the math department, $800,000, aye?

A similar facility was proposed for Grand Bahama using WTO [world trade organization] funds but it failed. But what about the Abacos? From what I understand, you have to have some gravid females - pregnant, that is - and a tank so when the babies are released they won't all be eaten. The first 22 days are the hard part, the initial larval stages. Once you get yearlings, grow them like chickens or whatever, little maintenance. Well in the water, not in a chicken pen, but you get the picture!

Maybe I'm a sucker for growing strange things - I once grew some Hawaiian giant shrimp in a kiddie pool in the back yard. But conch sounds like fun and you don't need any food because if you have regular seawater and algae, these guys are happy. No stuff like salmon or catfish feed pellets dipped in medicine. No bad water from rotten food that falls to the bottom. Once you have 3-inch conch they are nearly indestructible and can live 20 if you let them.

It's the best mix of science (for raising larval babies) and common sense redneck engineering. And if you have a grow-out pen in the Abaco waters, chances are the conchs will make even more babies to help them naturally come back in large numbers.

What do ye tink?

[DrRalph]

Paid $28 for 5 lbs frozen at our local fish market the other day, from Honduras. Didn't have the right taste. Are we talking venture capital here, like, are you looking for investors?;)

[Patti Puzo]

We could add that to the honey-do list when we purchase Guana Seaside....it could be a working resort....:rolleyes:

[SamFamAustin]

Well, I was thinking that Lincoln would help and Wonkee would come back with Half and lots of other locals (hope ya don't mind me mentioning names, bruddahs!) would be hired and it wouldn't be a big deal other than some large fiberglass tanks for the baby conchs before they get 3-inch hard shells. Lord knows, Papa Nasty might even figure out some pumps and plumbing, since lots of pipes are needed inside the housed nursery. I'm just squawking out loud. You tell me ... I ain't no investor shark, although I CAN write a mean-ess proposal for as much free money as we can get, and I don't get a dime.

I love Patti's idea too. Have you ever seen a 1-inch Queen Conch? Kids and grandkids would love it. Wouldn't it be cool of you could pick out a pure Abaco 3-year old conch for a dinner salad? Or like my mom, a pet for under her dock? Sounds like fun to me. /s/

[HALF-A-HAMIAN]

Sammie, ya realize how labour intensive it is to bottle-feed and diaper all those little tykes, not to mention the initial outlay for formula and diapers and strollers and onesies....noble thought though. No wonder the UN and WTO couldn't make a go at Grand Bahama. I know it was extremely taxing on Wonkee having to name 16,000 baby chicks every two weeks at Abaco Big Bird!!

[SamFamAustin]

Well, it may be sad but true that the governments have too many purse strings and private investment is the way to go, as Doc hinted. Why does everything have to be so complicated? So yeah, we need an initial offering of about $2.5M to do it right as starter money, and have riparian rights to about 2-5 acres of water directly offshore. Grants are a pain in the Yaputi and I've done enough to know what you mean, Half. :rolleyes:

[Sandalman]

Great idea sammie,in my area of Cape Cod as you know,as well as the Northeast, we have mussels and clam beds that we cultivate and farm with good results.They are farm fresh and fairly profitable,supporting local economy.I think if enough Abaconians pooled resources they could do very well with it locally and ship some abroad,especially to northern reaches to people like me with a big hankerin' for conch salad or fritters

[Patti Puzo]

I'm still in shock that Half knew what a onesie is! U da man!

[Sandalman]

I bet a onesie would be great for a boogie board up here in cold Cape Cod!Of course you would need the obligatory Pink Tutu,eh sammie?:D

[SamFamAustin]

Yeah, some of those farmed clam, mussel, and scallop houses are making a ton of money now around the Martha's Vinyard area, seems hot ... just like them tutus ya got! Whew, does anyone else here feel the warmth here? :D

p.s., Patti P, y'all know what a "pinkie swear" is? Mucho serioso!

[HALF-A-HAMIAN]

I'm still in shock that Half knew what a onesie is! U da man!

Patti, We've got six kids, 3/3, the last two turned 19 on the 4th. Also five grandkids, the last two are twin boys 16mo. old with one granddaughter in the middle and all but our two oldest are here at home with us (Wonkee's ambulatory, so he's back at his digs)! I'm aware of all that paraphenalia, and my baby sister was born when I was 18, so been in the biz for awhile ;) .

[SamFamAustin]

Gosh Half, you ARE de man.

[Marty]

Queen conch are already being tank raised for the salt water aquarium business. I've had a salt water tank for many years. I've had a couple queen conch, but they only seem to live about 2 years in a confined tank (120 gallons) and they only grow up to about 4" long. But it can be (is being) done. There's a company in Florida, I think its ORO, that tank raises many kinds of fish and invertibrates (sp?). I think with the conch they are tank raised which means they take the wild larvae and raise them to marketable size in tanks. Marketable size in the aquarium business is about 1.5 to 2" and they go for about $6 a pop plus shipping.

If they were farmed in open pens, essentially over populating an area on purpose, they would wipe out a grass bed in no time requiring feeding and the addition of some level of nutrients to the water. You would also need to be sure to keep nurse sharks and rays at bay. A bunch of young conch would be a buffet for them.

Not saying this couldn't be done, just thinking out loud a little.

[SusieAndAl]

About 15 years ago Susie, our youngest son (10 at the time) and I took a day trip from Grenada to Petit Curacauo. It is a very small, stunningly beatuiful island with virtually no outside influence. No hotels, no resorts, no B&Bs and only one "restaurant" that was run by a couple of Germans who left the Fatherland in 1946 under rather interesting circumstances.

Anyway, lunch was fantastic but the service made Abaco seeem like a fast food joint in Jersey! Susie decided after about an hour's wait for the bill to take a stroll along the beach with our son. Ten minutes later Alex is running like hell towards me. He yelled "Dad! Come quick! Bring money! Mom's in trouble!" We raced to the end of the beach where poor Susie was surrounded by about 20 locals -- many with machetes -- screaming in French Patois at the top of their lungs at Susie. Not good.

I pushed through the crowd and listened to a very large local woman screaming. I then shouted "Who is the boss here?" A local man edged forward and in a very loud voice said he was while glaring at me. I said "OK boss, do you talk or does your woman talk?" I know this sounds sexist, but that's the local culture and it was our only chance. In a real loud voice he addressed the crowd and his woman: "Woman, I boss. You shut mout!" I asked the boss what the trouble was. It turns out that the locals had harvested live conch and were growing them in a pool right off the beach. This was their only source of cash and Susie had found all these poor conch trapped and was merrily setting them free when she was spotted by the locals! She of didn't know this at the time.

I said to bossman that I had to pay him for his conch, and to name the price. He thought about it and said $3 Eastern Carib dollars each. I said "NO! Bossman, we must pay you 4 dollars each for the trouble we caused!" After a long time getting everybody to agree on the count, I slowly and carefully paid bossman bill by bill for show and asked if it was OK. Bossman smiled and we all started walking back. Now, having rescued my woman, I simply had to have a bit of fun. Susie was walking next to me and I turned to her and shouted "WOMAN! YOU WALK IN BEHIND MAN!" Bossman immediately screamed "YOU TOO WOMAN!" to his lady! Needless to say I slept on the couch the rest of the week!

So Sammie, while I like your idea, I will never, ever even think about asking Susie about this idea!

Cheers -- Al

[Patti Puzo]

[p.s., Patti P, y'all know what a "pinkie swear" is? Mucho serioso![/quote]


Sammie, Isn't that from a scene in Grease?

Al, thanks for providing yet another reason why I love this Forum so much. Great tale!

[Willy Landham]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Wow

[SamFamAustin]

Err, maybe my idea was a tad over the top. Excellent story Al, sounds like you de man too! And yes, Patti, good guess. When my daughter wants to bribe me we always have to "pinky swear." Then Lori the wife says I made a HUGE mistake. And for Willy ...

I was up visiting a good friend in Essex, CT one winter (in shorts and sandals in the ice, nonetheless!) and conversation turned to killing stuff, which they found quite objectionable as we were eating our Chicken Cordon Bleu. "Do you really go fishing and smack them and kill them, Sam?"

"No, no on porpoise."

[BahamaAngie]

Great story Al! But whats up with the fast food in Jersey? Don't other places have them too or are we mostly known??????

[Patti Puzo]

I bet a onesie would be great for a boogie board up here in cold Cape Cod!Of course you would need the obligatory Pink Tutu,eh sammie?:D

Scott, when we open the bar at Guana Seaside, that will have to be part of the decor. Maybe the protype for Sammie to wear while he is farming the conch too.:eek: