The queen conch, Lobatus gigas, is key to the Bahamian way of life. Recent studies suggest that commercial stocks will be depleted in The Bahamas in 10-15 years. In response to this, an egg farm was established in a historic breeding ground in Moriah Harbour Cay National Park, Exuma, Bahamas. Previously used for aquaculture, the egg farm concept was tested as a restoration method. Conch were tagged (n=251) and stocked in a 1,385 m2 (0.14 ha) circular enclosure at an equivalent density of 1,813/ha or 1 conch/5.5 m2. The egg farm was visited every 24-48 hours during the study period (May 26-August 14, 2019) to examine conch distribution, burial, predation, breeding, and egg mass laying. Queen conch Essential Fish Habitat was characterized in this study, contributing to a knowledge gap concerning conch spawning areas. No egg masses were laid, despite temperature, sediment solid-phase organics, calcium carbonate, and other seagrass habitat characteristics displaying similarities to previous studies in which conch spawned. It is speculated that egg laying did not occur due to handling disturbances, which may have caused the conch to resorb their gonads. Comprehensive recommendations are made for future egg farms intended for restoration. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2020. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fau.edu/oai:fau.digital.flvc.org:fau_42621 |
| Contributors | Norton, Laura E. Issac (author), Davis, Megan (Thesis advisor), Florida Atlantic University (Degree grantor), Department of Biological Sciences, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science |
| Publisher | Florida Atlantic University |
| Source Sets | Florida Atlantic University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation, Text |
| Format | 79 p., application/pdf |
| Rights | Copyright © is held by the author with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder., http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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