Queen Conch Lobatus gigas population estimates and age structure suggest a potential natural refuge on the Cay Sal Bank, The Bahamas

Cultural and economic demands for queen conch, Lobatus gigas (Linnaeus, 1758), have led to the overexploitation of this iconic species throughout its range in the wider Caribbean. Fisheries managers have responded in many ways, from remaining idle to placing moratoriums on conch harvest, yet heavily harvested conch populations have been slow to recover, and descriptions of natural baselines are missing. The study describes a population of conch surveyed on the isolated, partially submerged, carbonate platform known as the Cay Sal Bank, The Bahamas, using traditional and interpolation techniques. Counts and shell measurements of conch within six study areas were obtained using 118 timed dive surveys over shallow water habitat (