PROTECTION FOR THE GIANT CONCH OF MEXICO - YUCATAN PENINSULA - MEXICAN CARIBBEAN

BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY : PROTECTION SOUGHT FOR MEXICO'S GIANT CONCH 

Excerpt: The Banco Chinchorro Biosphere Reserve in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula is one of the last remaining fishing areas in the Mexican Caribbean, where more than 90% of the country's queen conch production is harvested.  Despite policies involving bans, minimum harvest size and catch quotas, fishing pressure and uncontrolled poaching in recent years have decreased queen conch populations, which are now considered over-exploited. The Mexican National Fisheries Chart describes the fishery as "in deterioration."