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Queen Conch is found throughout the wider
Caribbean in sand, grassbed and coral reef habitats. An important
subsistence and commercial fishery exists for queen conch. A queen conch shell can be as long as 12 inches and weigh as much as five pounds. In Bermuda, queen conchs may live 40 years, but in Florida their life span is estimated at 7 to 15 years. Although they have been found in waters 500 feet deep, they are most abundant in waters ranging from 1 to 70 feet deep. Despite their painstakingly slow speed, conchs may wander for miles foraging on algae-encrusted rocks or decaying organic matter. Tagging studies show that queen conch may travel up to one mile in a 2-month period and more than 700 yards in a week. Imports of queen conch meat into the United States have steadily increased in the last decade. There is growing concern about the conch fishery as populations have been depleted. A by-product of the meat trade are conch shells, which are used for jewelry and sold as curios .
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