Density and reproduction of the Queen Conch <i>Eustrombus gigas</i> (Mesogastropoda: Strombidae) at Cabo Cruz, Desembarco del Granma National Park, Cuba

Abstract

Densidad y reproducción de la concha reina Eustrombus gigas (Mesogastropoda: Strombidae) en Cabo Cruz, Parque Nacional Desembarco del Granma, Cuba. The queen conch Eustrombus gigas is an important fisheries resource in the Caribbean region. In Cuba Island the studies about this resource are very scarce and particularly in the Southeastern regions of the country. With the aim to get important fishery information about this gastropod, adult Queen Conch density and frequency of reproductive activity were evaluated in Cabo Cruz, Cuba, during 2009-2010. Data from three seasons were obtained (rainy, dry and cold fronts periods) from three different areas: Farito, Guafe and Laguna. The highest density was observed in cold fronts season (468.5ind./ha) and the lowest occurred during the dry season (268.5ind./ha). The highest density was reported at Laguna (520.4ind./ha) and the lowest at Farito (290.9ind./ha). In total, 158 reproductive events were observed. The highest frequency was reported in rainy season (36%), followed by dry (9%) and cold fronts (5%) seasons. Reproductive behavior (mating and egg laying) was related to temperature and photoperiod. Reproductive activity was observed during the whole year, which suggests the existence of an important Queen Conch reserve in the Southeastern region of Cuba and an apparently self-sufficient population for recruitment. From our results we may conclude that, the population's sustainable exploitation is viable if the following management measures are observed: functional zoning within the area, rotation of fishing areas and a closed season. We recommend that the Laguna site should be protected as a reproduction zone and banned for fishing activities. Rev. Biol. Trop. 61 (2): 645-655. Epub 2013 June 01.

Limiting factors for queen conch (Lobatus gigas) reproduction: A simulation-based evaluation

“…Increasing water temperature due to climate change is likely to alter the timing and duration of the queen conch reproductive season. In warmer regions, conch have been observed mating and spawning year round [ 1 , 74 ]; however, reproduction can also cease as temperatures approach 31°C [ 75 ]. Increasing water temperatures may initially extend the reproductive season and shift peak mating and spawning periods, but further increases may subsequently shorten the season as temperatures reach a threshold.…”

Limiting factors for queen conch (Lobatus gigas) reproduction: A simulation-based evaluation

“…Increasing water temperature due to climate change is likely to alter the timing and duration of the queen conch reproductive season. In warmer regions, conch have been observed mating and spawning year round [1,75]; however, reproduction can also cease as temperatures approach 31 o C [76]. Increasing water temperatures may initially extend the reproductive season and shift peak mating and spawning periods, but further increases may subsequently shorten the season as temperatures reach a threshold.…”

Exploitation Drives Changes in the Population Connectivity of Queen Conch (Aliger gigas)

“…To ensure that known spawning sites, including putative deep-water spawning locations, were included in the habitat layer, we ground-truthed our habitat map with spawning sites reported in the literature (Randall, 1964;D'Asaro, 1965;Brownell, 1977;Davis et al, 1984;Weil and Laughlin, 1984;Coulston et al, 1987;Wilkins et al, 1987;Wicklund et al, 1991;Berg Jr. et al, 1992;Garcıá-Escobar et al, 1992;Stoner and Sandt, 1992;Maŕquez-Pretel et al, 1994;Lagos-Bayona et al, 1996;Peŕez-Peŕez and Aldana-Aranda, 2003;Garcia-Sais et al, 2012;Cala et al, 2013;de Graaf et al, 2014;Meijer zu Schlochtern, 2014;Wynne et al, 2016;Truelove et al, 2017). Following this review, we incorporated 13 shallow-water polygons not initially present in our habitat layer in St. Eustatius, USVI, Colombia, Florida, Mexico, Jamaica, Saba, Bonaire, and The Bahamas (Randall, 1964;Coulston et al, 1987;Garcıá-Escobar et al, 1992;Maŕquez-Pretel et al, 1994;Meijer zu Schlochtern, 2014;Truelove et al, 2017).…”

“…Following this review, we incorporated 13 shallow-water polygons not initially present in our habitat layer in St. Eustatius, USVI, Colombia, Florida, Mexico, Jamaica, Saba, Bonaire, and The Bahamas (Randall, 1964;Coulston et al, 1987;Garcıá-Escobar et al, 1992;Maŕquez-Pretel et al, 1994;Meijer zu Schlochtern, 2014;Truelove et al, 2017). We also included an additional 14 putative deep spawning sites, located outside of our polygons, as spawning sources exclusively for Venezuela, Cuba, The Bahamas, USVI, Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), Saba, Colombia, Belize, Honduras, Puerto Rico and Jamaica (i.e., Pedro Bank) (Randall, 1964;Brownell, 1977;Davis et al, 1984;Weil and Laughlin, 1984;Wicklund et al, 1991;Stoner and Sandt, 1992;Lagos-Bayona et al, 1996;Aiken et al, 2006;Garcia-Sais et al, 2012;Cala et al, 2013;de Graaf et al, 2014;Truelove FIGURE 2 | Map of spawning and settlement habitat (polygons), color-coded by jurisdiction. Conch habitat is represented of 1359 8×8 km polygons (Holstein et al, 2014) based on shallow (depth less than 20 m) coral reefs locations from the Millennium Coral Mapping Project (Spalding et al, 2001;IMaRS-USF and IRD 2005;Andrefouët, 2008;.…”