Queen
Conch Lab

Queen Conch LabQueen Conch LabQueen Conch Lab

Queen
Conch Lab

Queen Conch LabQueen Conch LabQueen Conch Lab
  • Home
  • Aquaculture
  • Projects
  • Outreach
  • About Us
  • NEWS
  • Donate
    • Home
    • Aquaculture
    • Projects
    • Outreach
    • About Us
    • NEWS
    • Donate

  • Home
  • Aquaculture
  • Projects
  • Outreach
  • About Us
  • NEWS
  • Donate

Outreach Resources

Conch in the Classroom

Conch in the Classroom

Conch in the Classroom

image61

Conch lessons for teaching and training


Go to Lessons

Conch Dissection

Conch in the Classroom

Conch in the Classroom

image62

Dissection for male and female queen conch

Go to Dissection

FAQs

Conch in the Classroom

FAQs

image63

Frequently asked questions about conch


Go to FAQs

Conch in the Classroom developed by Amber Garr and Megan Davis in 2006.

This project was funded by Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund and Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute.  The lesson plans are available in English and Spanish.

Conch in the Classroom

image64

History and Socio-Economics 1.1

Students will be introduced to the ways queen conch were used and how the fishery impacted Caribbean countries throughout history.

Download Lessons and Activities

Geography and Habitat 2.1

Students will learn where conch are found in the world, their habitat, protection of their habitat, what the conch eat and their predators.

Download Lessons and Activities

Life Cycle 2.2 and Early Stages 2.3

Students will learn how some animals have different life stages, and it varies depending on where they live. Students will learn the importance of camouflage during the early stages of a conch’s life, and they will understand how many ocean animals display various means to protect their young.

Download Lessons and Activities

Fisheries Management 3.1

Students will learn how queen conch are being protected, the importance of Marine Protected Areas and challenges of conch transplantation and stock recovery.
Importance of ocean currents

Download Lessons and Activities

Queen Conch Aquaculture 4.1

Students will learn about conch aquaculture process and understand the importance of aquaculture.

Download Lessons and Activities

Aquarium in Classroom 5.1

Students learn scientific method by conducting experiments of their own to support or void their hypotheses. Students will also learn how to interpret data, the importance of replication in an experiment, and how scientists design and implement research studies

Download Lessons and Activities

Downloads: History and Socio-Economics

History and Socio-economics 1.1 (pdf)Download
Queen Conch Pre-test Activity 1 (pdf)Download
Animals as Tools Activity 2 (pdf)Download
Fishing Methods Activity 3 (pdf)Download
Queen Conch Vocabulary Sheet 1 (pdf)Download
The Arawak Indians Sheet 2 (pdf)Download
History of Queen Conch Fisheries Sheet 3 (pdf)Download
How are Conch Used Sheet 4 (pdf)Download

Downloads: Geography and Habitat

Geography and Habitat 2.1 (pdf)Download
Where are Conch Sheet 5 (pdf)Download
Habitat Requirements Sheet6 (pdf)Download
World's oceans activity4 (pdf)Download
Taxonomy activity5 (pdf)Download
What's for dinner activity6 (pdf)Download
Average Water Conditions activity 7 (pdf)Download
Conch Migration Maze (pdf)Download

Downloads: Life Cycle and Early Stages

Life cycle 2.2 (pdf)Download
The Queen Conch Life Cycle Sheet 7 (pdf)Download
Conch Life Cycle activity8 (pdf)Download
frog life cycle activity9 (pdf)Download
mosquito life cycle activity10 (pdf)Download
salmon life cycle activity11 (pdf)Download
butterfly life cycle activity12 (pdf)Download
Early Stages 2.3 (pdf)Download
Bigger Isnt Always Better Sheet 8 (pdf)Download
breeding behavior activity13 (pdf)Download
Egg math activity 14 (pdf)Download
hairy beasts activity15 (pdf)Download

Downloads: Fisheries Management

Fisheries Management 3.1 (pdf)Download
Marine Protected Areas Sheet 12 (pdf)Download
A Time to Move Sheet 13 (pdf)Download
caught in current activity17 (pdf)Download

Downloads: Queen Conch Aquaculture

Queen Conch Aquaculture 4.1 (pdf)Download
Aquaculture in the World Sheet 14 (pdf)Download
aquaculture and hydroponics activity18 (pdf)Download

Downloads: Aquarium in Classroom

Aquarium in the Classroom 5.1 (pdf)Download
Experiments for the Classroom Sheet 15 (pdf)Download
Aquarium Supplies Sheet 16 (pdf)Download
Aquarium Maintenance Sheet 17 (pdf)Download
conch measurement data sheet activity19 (pdf)Download
image65

Conch Dissection

Male and female conch have identical looking shells. When they are dissected the most notable difference is the verge for the male and egg groove for the female. This dissection will provide an overview of the anatomy of the conch. For more detailed information see:


Little, C. 1965. Notes on the Anatomy of the Queen Conch, Strombus gigas. Bulletin of Marine Science. 15, 2: 338-358.

Follow a step by step conch dissection for male and female adult conch.

Download Conch Dissection and Lesson Activities

Downloads: Conch Dissection

Anatomy of a Conch Lesson 2.4 (pdf)Download
queen conch dissection (pdf)Download
Conch Anatomy Sheet 9 (pdf)Download
Anatomy of S. gigas Key Sheet 10 (pdf)Download
Structures and Functions Sheet 16 (pdf)Download
Conch Anatomy crossword (pdf)Download
queen conch dissection quiz (pdf)Download

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a queen conch?

Why are conch overfished? And are they endangered?

Why are conch overfished? And are they endangered?

A conch (pronounced "konk") is a large gastropod mollusk that lives in the seagrass beds of Florida, The Bahamas, Caribbean and Bermuda. 


They are herbivores (vegetarians) and graze on microscope algae off the sand and the seagrass blades.

Why are conch overfished? And are they endangered?

Why are conch overfished? And are they endangered?

Why are conch overfished? And are they endangered?

Conch are slow moving animals, which makes them easy to fish in shallow waters with snorkel or from a boat with a hook and glass bottom bucket. In some countries hooka and scuba diving are used to fish conch in deeper water. 


Conch are listed under Appendix II in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) which means their trade is controlled and countries that export conch to the US need to have a conch fisheries management plan. https://cites.org/eng/prog/queen_conch/introduction

How do you know when a conch can be fished?

Why are conch overfished? And are they endangered?

How do you know when a conch can be fished?

When the conch grows, its shell lengthens and continues to grow in a spiral. When it is about 3 to 3.5 years old, its shell stops growing and starts to form a broad flared lip. When the shell lip is fully formed and the thickness of the lip is 15 mm or greater it is ready to be harvested for eating. The conch are about 4-5 years old when the lip thickness is 15 mm. Conch live to about 20 - 40 years old.



Why conch aquaculture?

Who are the predators of conch?

How do you know when a conch can be fished?

Conch aquaculture can help to take the fishing pressure off wild population by farming conch from the egg stage to adult for seafood or for restoration of the species. Training fishers and others to be conch farmers offers diversified livelihoods.

Who are the predators of conch?

Who are the predators of conch?

Who are the predators of conch?

Conch are eaten by loggerhead sea turtles, nurse sharks, rays, octopus, horse conch and other carnivorous snails, crabs, spiny lobsters, fish and humans.


How are conch eaten?

Who are the predators of conch?

Who are the predators of conch?

Conch are eaten raw in salads, or cooked, as in cracked conch, chowders, fritters, and gumbos. 

Copyright © 2021 Queen Conch Aquaculture - All Rights Reserved.


Powered by GoDaddy