Conch and whelk season opens

Hunting season for lobster starts on 1 Dec

1 November 2021

It’s 1 Nov., which means it’s also time for eager conch and whelk lovers to take to the sea in search of delectable underwater delights.

Monday officially heralded the start of conch and whelk season in the Cayman Islands.

The season runs from 1 Nov. through to 30 April and allows the taking of conch and whelk from local coastal waters.

Removing conch from the open zones is permitted, but with imposed limits of five per person or 10 per boat per day, whichever is less. In addition, using scuba for taking conch is not allowed.

No one may take — or permit another person to take, purchase, receive, offer for sale or possess — more than five conchs from Cayman waters, local guidelines state.

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As for whelks, the legal daily limit for possession during the open season is two-and-a-half gallons in the shell or two-and-a-half pounds of processed whelks per person.

In addition, no one is allowed to purchase or receive more than two-and-a-half gallons in the shell or two-and-a-half pounds of processed whelks from Cayman each day.

It is illegal to take conch from any of the designated marine park areas.

Anyone caught poaching conch may face fines up to $500,000 or one year in prison.

The legal limit is the same for individuals and restaurants, the Department of Environment has said in previous advisories for conch season.

“No person can possess more than 5 conch per day taken from Cayman waters, regardless of whether the conch is purchased or gifted, frozen or fresh. This also means that conch beyond the legal per-person limit cannot be frozen and stockpiled, or travelled with, for consuming at a later date. Please remember that it doesn’t matter if the conch is received or purchased from 5 different people, no-one can possess more than 5 conch per day taken from Cayman waters as this is an offence under the law,” the DoE stated in a previous post on social media.

While the public can take conch and whelks, other marine animals like chitons, periwinkles and bleeding teeth may not be taken.

Echinoderms (starfish, sea eggs/urchins, sea cucumbers and sand dollars) may also not be taken, under the rules.

Meanwhile the next hunting season is for lobster, which starts on 1 Dec.