Mariculture techniques for queen conch (Strombus Gigas L.): egg mass to juvenile stage

Systems and culturing techniques for producing juvenile conch (25 mm SL) are established. An enclosedbreeding habitat to hold 150 adult conch ( 1/10 m²) will ensure 10 egg masses/week for the hatchery.Reproductive season is from March to October. Egg masses are incubated for 3-5 days, and hatched in1000-1 larval tanks. Veligers are competent for metamorphosis in 3 weeks. Sanitary techniques areessential for producing abundant and healthy larvae. Larvae are fed Caicos Isochrysis supplemented withChaetoceros gracilis. To induce metamorphosis, competent larvae (1.2 mm SL) are exposed to redmacroalga (Laurencia poitei) extracts for 5 hr. Metamorphosed conch are stocked at 5000/m² indownwelling screen trays and fed flocculated C. gracilis. Conch remain in this system for 2 weeks, untilapproximately 4.0 mm SL They are stocked on downwelling sand-filled trays at 1600/m². After 4 weeks,conch are 12 mm SL and density is reduced to 480/m². Juvenile conch are fed a mixture of flocculated C.gracilis and blended Enteromorpha, and reach 25 mm SL after an additional 2 months. These techniquescan be used to rear conch for reseeding or grow-out programs.