Save the conch!

[PELLUCID]

The new prohibitions on foreigners taking conch have been extensively discussed here and elsewhere. The stated policy objective is to save a threatened species from collapse. The rational response to that is "How will it work, if Bahamians are still permitted to take all the conch they want?"

My experience with government suggests that the stated policy objective is not always the real policy objective. Since I am not a fly on the wall at meetings in Nassau, I will have to reverse engineer the real objective from the regulations. I think the real policy objective is "Preserve a declining conch fishery for just a few more years for Bahamians until real conservation measures are required." Of course, that is a policy objective that no Bahamian politician would be able to speak.

The problem with real conservation measures is that they require real funding. As has been pointed out elsewhere, without funding for enforcement the only people the regulations will affect are law-abiding foreign boaters. The poachers and cooler-fillers will operate with impunity.

Here is my win-win solution: make foreign boaters pay for regulatory enforcement and conservation of conch. I would gladly pay $50 extra when I get my cruising permit for a conch stamp that would allow me a reasonable bag limit. I think many other boaters would do the same. We might end up paying $5 or $10 for every conch we catch, but that is OK. The point is that we would be able to have fresh conch, legally, at whatever remote cay we were anchored behind. And the money would fund conservation/enforcement efforts.

What do folks think? Is this worth forwarding on to Fisheries Department?

[DrRalph]

I'd buy a conch stamp in a heartbeat. We used to dive up 5-10 on a good day.

[floridaskater]

The stamp is absolutely a good idea. However, I have feel there must be limits on the local fisheries as well in order for the stocks to maintain. The fishermen would then have to sell conch at a higher price in order to maintain their living, and in turn tourists would have to pay higher prices on the table for conch. Conch is too cheap, it should be considered a delicacy on the menu and priced as such. Limit the take similar to Nassau Grouper before it's too late.

[Rock Steady]

We're in...Thanks for the thought process, Pellucid.

c

[Abacoparrott]

went to 300.00 per vessel, you would have thought that the 50.00 stamp tax on conch would have been included. In Bob's scenario, who really thinks that the 50.00 will really go into an enforcement fund?? None of the increased taxes that have taken place in the last 5 years have resulted in any additional enforcement programs that I can see.....why would this be any different? I just see it as an additional 50.00 into the general fund and one more tax to deter US tourism.....ken

[SamFamAustin]

A stamp or quota system does sound look, not only for conch but maybe crawdad and Nassau Grouper too (when legal). It is similar to having to have a stamp to deer or other special species ... no stamp and you could get arrested.

That said, accountiblity does not seem to be there, as Ken hinted. Any program is only effective as its enforcement.

Plus, my thought is that enforcement always starts at home, not for the occassional foreigner. For example, the rules appear to be against a selective few (maybe hundreds of Flori-tourists) and exempts the many (thousands of Bahamians). What is wrong with this picture?

It's all arsey-versy in my opinion. But good job, Pellucid! ;)
/sammie

[HALF-A-HAMIAN]

This smells strongly of "If I can't have them, then nobody should have them." It's their local resource, not ours and we can try to justify in our minds things to our liking, but they have already legislated it their way. The 'conch tag/stamp' is a great idea, but there is no enforcement and monies from the tag/stamp would probably go to anything but. We just have to live with it.

[SamFamAustin]

I did not mean to offend, sir. Living right next to Mexico, it just strikes me as odd. It we shut down Mexican Nationals from our tourism industry, of which recreational fishing is a major part, half the trade would disappear overnight.

I have no idea if the fishing, passport, and duty regulations are taking their toll on the Abacos. I think perhaps a softer landing, maybe. But you're right, it is not my duty to intervene in these matters. /sammie

[PELLUCID]

The points about whether or not the funds from a special stamp would in fact go to enforcement are well taken.

Governments everywhere do it. They use "fund accounting systems" which link specific revenues with specific services. For instance, gasoline taxes often go to a "highway fund" which can only be spent on roads.

The accounting software component is a snap. I used to sell them. It is the "brainware" component that is trickier. Getting bureaucracies accustomed to the idea can take time. But if I started going off about reforms needed in the Bahamian civil service, this would turn into a political rant.

Let me rephrase my orginal question -- assuming the government could in fact assure that monies collected would be used for enforcement, would a conch stamp be a good idea? And maybe grouper or crawfish stamps as well?

[CR]

Good day,

I have suggested to the current Government that making Fisheries self supporting would be a starting point for actual enforcement.

If a portion of the Cruising permit fees was set aside for Fisheries, and all monies gained from fines and the sale of forfeited boats and equipment went directly back to Fisheries - all enforcement costs would be covered.

This type of system would allow the Fisheries Department to have an actual budget to be used for enforcement, education, and associated costs.

This would lead to an improved enforcement program and would actually allow for control of the Bahamian fisheries for the first time in Bahamian history.

As far as the "Conch Stamp" is concerned;

I honestly believe that the Conch stocks are at the point where serious restrictions must be mandated and enforced for Bahamians as well as visitors in order to maintain adequate breeding stock.

I believe that if Bahamian take of Conch is not controlled - they will reach a level where they can not sustain the population.

R.

[SamFamAustin]

So you'd better help protect the conch and have the government behind it, because as mentioned on the other message board, we will invade your country with Jetskis if you do not. Thousands of them with support vessels full of extra gas and topless wimmins, all armed with water balloons! BWAHAHA!!!

Just kidding, nevermind ... good job again, Pellucid, I agree
/sammie

[Sal]

So you'd better help protect the conch and have the government behind it, because as mentioned on the other message board, we will invade your country with Jetskis if you do not. Thousands of them with support vessels full of extra gas and topless wimmins, all armed with water balloons! BWAHAHA!!!


And just what exactly is the problem with topless wimmins on jet skis????

[CR]

They all 80 years old!:eek:

[SamFamAustin]

They all like Mandy, my friends, nubile and 6-foot tall! Youse in beeeg trouble :cool:

[Abacoparrott]

this latest round of exchanges.....from conch to Mandy......kinda fits doesn't it? Now then, when I read the new conch regs I simply decided to leave the conch where they lie (I've never taken more than 3 in a week anyway). If I want conch I would rather pay my money to a local businessman than to the government.......At least I know it goes to the person who EARNED it.........I would even buy extra for MANDY! Ken:D

[SamFamAustin]

Ah tink somebody put de Troof Serum in yer Kibble, Ken, and dat de trut Mon!

And back to reality, my parents don't eat them; they like them as pets, and every season they come into the docks at Dickies. They only seem to be eating algae and rotten stuff, and I don't think you can really feed them like pets, although it is so cool to see them motion around.

And if some conch raider comes on over looking to catch some, Mama (we call her "Mother") will actually run down the dock with a cast iron pot to bang around because those are HER conch. ;) sammie

[Abacoparrott]

Mama's conch are now protected! Maybe she can use dat iron fryin' pan for cookin' instead of chasin' gangsters away! :D

[SamFamAustin]

Oh yeah, she can make that flat bread in there just fine. My dad calls it "Johnny." Hey, does that mean they're cheating or something? Never know with these young great-grandparents-to-be. Gotta watch 'em. :eek:

[snorkler]

So the correct action is don't catch them or order it at the restaurants or fish market, if we want the stocks to survive.

[Beer Baron]

Just so I have this straight. There is no way I can harvest a conch for personal consumption in the Bahamas accoring to these regs?

Bummer. I've never even HAD conch, so I was really looking forward to that part of the trip... Can you still get conch fritters on Elbow Cay?

[Abacoparrott]

that these new regs apply only to taking conch BY BOAT. If you can swim out off of the beach and grab a couple then it's ok.......someone please confirm or deny if this is true....Ken

[SamFamAustin]

I think that's right ... the wording of Regulation 48 (?) only applies to "foreign boaters" if my defective memory served me right. This is not defined other than we suspect if there is a boat with one or more foreigners, you can't have any conch on the boat. So in theory you could go out conch hunting with some Bahamians, pick a few conch, and put them in the boat, and swim home. No "foreign boaters" with conch on board. Crazy man, just crazy. /sammie

[Beer Baron]

Sweet. I've been kinda psyched about diving for some conch.

So if one were to procure some conch from perfect and unambiguously legal sources, what might be a tasty way to prepare said conch?

I've heard that they can be kind of tough unless you cook them for a while.

[HALF-A-HAMIAN]

RAW, with a little lime! Or conch salad (raw). If you've never broke, slopped, cleaned and skinned a conch, I'd get professional help (any 4 or 5 year old) so as not to waste any of that natural aphrodesiac! Good also cracked (bruised very thin, battered, floured and fried), fritters, stewed, chowder, conch and rice....Lord I'm going to have to get some out of the freezer now.

[South Pause]

You have to cook it really quickly for cracked, or lightly sauteed, or cook it to death for stewed. In between times gives you the tough and chewy texture.

[DrRalph]

Try this: butterfly the steaks, just like you would a cut of beef. Put them in a heavy gallon ziplok bag, then beat them almost into paste with a meat mallet. Assuming you've made some holes in the bag, put the conch in a new bag and add about 4-6 oz of your favorite coconut rum, let it sit for a half-hour or so. Then coat each piece in your favorite batter and deep fry in a light oil at as close to 400 degrees as you can get it. Let the pieces dry on paper towels while you mix a rum thang. Almost heaven.

[South Pause]

Sounds great! The key is to beat the stuff to death, like you said.
How long does it deep fry before ready? I imagine quickly. might help some folks who are not familiar with this method.

[DrRalph]

It only takes a few minutes, you pretty much have to stand there and mind it. It depends on how much oil you're using, how hot it is, and how much meat you put in at once. Less oil, less meat, hotter oil = quicker cooking. It's like frying anything else, you can do it in batches, keep the oil really hot. We put towels or newspapers around the fryer, it can splatter.

This is making me really hungry.

[Beer Baron]

Sounds good to me. I wasn't sure about eating it raw, but it looks like that's almost a preferred method. I've been reading up on how to extract the manna from heaven (read:meat) from the shell.

From the sites I have visited, it sounds pretty simple. Punch a hole in the 2nd or 3rd spiral from the center to break suction, and pop that sucker out with a long thin knife. The white meat is what I'm after. Pummel into submission, eat raw or cracked as seen above.

This post took a while to type. I keep drooling on the keyboard just thinking about my first conch experience!

[Henz]

You gotta have the coconut conch at Nippers, its a must have!

[DrRalph]

BB, cleaning conch is not easy, it's worth watching a local do it a few times before you try it. Be patient, have a sharp knife, and don't be discouraged if your first few don't look exactly right.

[Henz]

thats funny, cause it neer really came to my mind to ever dive for conch when I was there.

[SamFamAustin]

That's my Mom's pets! Leave them alone! Go beat on some Octopus or something! :D

Oops, didn't mean to crimp your "style," DrRalph! :eek:

Ahem, OK, my mind is obviously NOT on work today ... have a great Friday.
sammie ;)