Improving the culture conditions of juvenile queenconch (Strombus gigas Linne) for grow out purposes

Queen conch, Strombus gigas, are overfished throughout Florida and the
Caribbean. In an attempt to curtail the depleted stocks, Queen conch aquaculture has
progressed through the last forty years. There still remain a number of fundamental
aquaculture methods that need research to improve culture conditions of conch. This
study examined the effects of stocking density and tank substrate on growth and
survival of hatchery-reared juvenile Queen conch to assist in determining cost
effective culture conditions. Juvenile conch were stocked at a mean shell length of
32.57 ± 3.58 mm and grown at stocking densities of 20, 75, and 200 conch•m⁻² on two
types of sand substrate in a recirculating water system for four months. Consistent with
previous research, conch grown at lower densities grew significantly faster than conch
grown at high densities. Although there were no significant differences in growth
between conch grown on the two substrates, crushed coral aragonite costs one-third the
price of the aragonite chips. There were no significant differences in survival between
the different densities or substrates. In order to increase growth and reduce hatchery
costs, it is recommended that juvenile Queen conch are grown at a stocking density of
75 conch•m⁻² on crushed coral aragonite.