I have also been a diver and spear fisherman for more than fifty years and I can state categorically that ours stocks of not only conchs, but fish and crawfish have seriously declined over that period of time. Years ago you could find as many conchs or crawfish as you wanted right around Nassau, good luck with that now, this a direct result of illegal use of air compressors with no enforcement over the years.
Even in the deeper cuts in the Exuma cays conch has become scarce, thank God for the Exuma Land & Sea Park and the grouper closed season.
Those most dependent on these species for their livelihood are those who will be responsible for their eventual demise as they can't see no further than their pocket, hand to mouth with no thought about the future.
Let us hasten towards the great emptiness, it is already upon us.

You are so right.
Every bit of evidence suggests that conch, as well as, most of our other marine species are in serious decline.
Just because one is a criminal, doesn't mean that they are an expert on how to stop crime.
As well, though most fishermen are decent people who want to feed their families, in my experience they would not be the first ones I turn to if I wanted an educated opinion, on anything. Just my opinion.

Stop asking the inmates of the asylum for advice !

NO MORE CONCH EXPORTS!!

They could reject it ......... just a matter of time.

What do these cornholes think they are going to fish for when they wipe out the population of conch?

and from i know myself?? .do tell me more my dear please

AHH the BCC opinion...
God said they ain ga run out.....

She said: “I feel that there is no conch shortage in the Bahamas. I am more than 50 years old, and from I know myself, we always had conch. For how conch spawn, we would never have a shortage of conch. I don’t think that would happen. This is the Bahamas, and God give us these beautiful waters, and he put what’s in there for us, and it is always going to be enough conch in there for us to have.”

God also gave us brains. Wonder why we don't use them. Conch are disappearing, except of course in the minds of those fishermen who know nothing else. Sad, but true.

These conch must have pretty big brains, to see that empty shells are in the water and then decide to go further away from shore. Like people seeing all the empty beer bottles in the water and also going further from shore and drown.

Pintard's brain is made of the same thing conch muscle is made of. The depletion of our sea life is the result of two things: (1) Illegal poaching by other nations; an (2) global warming. Pintard needs to get off of his duff and persuade his fellow cabinet ministers to do much more than they are currently doing about the ongoing illegal poaching problem. And Minnis had better not make the mistake of allowing the Red Chinese to engage in any type of fishing related activities in our waters.

Actually as a boat captain I can tell you your wrong .I would watch in the Berry Island as guys would skin out tons of juvenile conch , conch take at least 6 years to be mature enough to form a lip and reproduce .Bamboo shack etc are paying by the pound and find the juveniles tender . Then we have a population of 400,000 but 5 to 6 million visitors a year ,and many of them want a conch salad .As a young man you could go to the top of the Exumas and stubb your toe on conch now you have to go as far as the Jumentos to get any number of mature conch .Florida deleted theirs in the Keys never to come back .I quit conching 15 years ago as was disgusted by the amount of Juveniles we Bahamians are harvesting in the Berries .Right now you can you to potters cay cay or montague and see juveniles being broken out ,right this minute !!

Don't forget the illegal poaching by we home grown Bahamians, there's plenty of that going on Mudda it ain only dem set from the DR.
And look at all the illegal use of air compressors out of lobster season grabbing up conchs by the thousands and spearing all kinda fish too.
Defense force caught a dray load of Bahamian fishermen down south two weeks ago with lone compressors on the boats and in the bushes and crawfish season wasn't even open yet.
Waiting to see if any a dem going to jail and their boats get confiscated, but as they probably working for some politician ain nothin going o happen.

So... because 100 or even 1,000 people say there will always be plenty of conch, our government will not take the steps necessary to protect our conch from going extinct? Sounds sensible to me.

Well most of us don't want to pay any taxes so I expect government to get rid of VAT!!

F' everybody and your conch too!

“Yeah, we have to go a little further for conch now because people leave the shell in the water near the shore so the conch run away from the shell, and that’s why they go further."

There's a PLP / FNM joke in there somewhere

Of course the conch fishermen are going to protest, you knew that! If they want the conch to survive they will have to take the initiative to either fish something else during the closed period, or find something else to do for those months. Would hope the closed season for conch will not coincide with those for say crawfish or grouper. If they have any sense at all the fisherman will realize that steps must be taken to preserve the much loved conch before it is too late!

Ban exports for sure, domestic consumption is another story.
They still eating Turtles in the smaller settlements in Abaco, and I'm sure everywhere else also.
A season is only as good as enforcement, where we have always been weak to non existent.

There are no laws to prevent Conchy Joes from enjoying their cultural dishes, hey???????

If this is but one thing which are colony's out islanders comrades can agree on, it's that the Conch is the one uniting force which binds all we out islanders together as one, yes, no .... will have to act responsibly together to take care of we most prized treasure, we Conchs .... so goes Conchs, so goes we colony of out islands, yes, no .... when it comes Conchs, there are no skin colours, educational, religious nor financial barriers ... Conchs see us out islanders as equals, and we love our Conchs back,equally so .... Amen to keep Conchs from being exported stomachs foreigners ....