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Bermuda's Pink Ladies
Tied with palm trees and sandy beaches, conch shells are the very icons of tropical vacation spots, and the beautiful pink queen conch has long been popular with tourists as decorative souvenirs. Once abundant in Bermuda, South Florida, The Bahamas, the Caribbean and Brazil, today the Strombus gigas — the giant marine snail known locally as the queen or pink conch — is in decline despite 30 years of protection. Now the Bermuda Department of Conservation Services is redoubling its efforts.
Trade in conchs is regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Illegal harvesting and trade are widespread problems. Banned from export by many countries, conch shells are amongst the top-10 items seized by U.K. customs.
Although in decline throughout its range, Strombus gigas is still fished commercially in the Caribbean and prized for its beauty. Despite a complete ban on taking them since 1978 and their endangered status under the Bermuda Protected Species Act of 2003, local populations have shown little recovery. Experimental releases of farmed specimens into the wild have proved the conch vulnerable to predators.
A new recovery plan by the Bermuda Department of Conservation Services seeks to increase population levels through habitat protection, active breeding and recruitment. The plan proposes to assess genetic status, population size, distribution, demography, movement, breeding and feeding grounds. The project is expected to take at least 15 years. To learn more, contact Samia Sarkis, protected species coordinator, at scsarkis@gov.bm.
Make your Bermuda trip even more memorable with dolphins! Dolphin Quest offers fun, interactive dolphin encounter programs for all. Book your adventure today!
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Have a fun-filled vacation with a cycle from Oleander. If you can ride a bicycle, you can easily ride an Oleander scooter. See all of Bermuda...reserve one today!
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Relax, enjoy, save and see Bermuda by bus. A blue or pink pole indicates bus stops. If the pole is topped with blue, the bus travels from Hamilton; if the pole is topped pink, the route is toward Hamilton.
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