DoE reminds public to keep out of Marine Reserve ahead of conch season

While Cayman’s conch will be back on the menu starting Tuesday, 1 Nov., the Department of Environment is reminding the public to follow the rules when it comes to hunting the local delicacy.

The DoE, in a statement on Wednesday, said, though conch season will open next week,  Marine Park rules and boundaries remain in full effect at all times.

“No conch may be taken from within the Marine Reserve even within season,” the DoE said.

DoE Deputy Director, Research and Assessment, Timothy Austin, in an emailed statement Friday following Cayman Compass queries, stressed the importance of adhering to the limits.

”We recognize that conch populations remain under considerable harvesting pressure, both locally and regionally, and that management of these populations is critically important if we are to avoid the overharvesting issues faced by other jurisdictions where conch populations have never recovered,” he said.

The daily catch limit is five conch per person or maximum of 10 conch per boat with two or more people.

“In any one day, no one person may take or permit another person to take, purchase, receive, offer for sale, exchange or donation, or possess more than five conch from Cayman waters. Only queen conch may be taken,” the DoE added.

Suspicious behaviour can be reported to DoE Enforcement on 949-8469 or

916-4271 or 911.

This year there have been a number of illegal taking of conch and other marine life outside of the open season.

In fact, earlier this year, three repeat offenders were arrested for poaching.

The men in that case face charges for illegally taking 194 conch and other protected species. Their case is still pending in the courts.

Austin said that “against the backdrop of an increasing human population, and recognising that economic hardship may also be driving more desperate reliance on local marine resources, we all must endeavour to follow the laws, catch limits and seasons that are in place, particularly by not buying locally caught conch or other locally managed marine species sold door to door or by food vendors”.

He said management efforts are to ensure these species are harvested “sustainably and will remain available to us now and for future generations”.

In a Compass interview in April, DoE chief conservation officer Mark Orr warned that organised criminal gangs represent the biggest current threat to Cayman’s marine life.

Sophisticated poachers, working in teams, are wiping out conch beds and threatening lobster populations, he said, adding that their deliberate criminal intent risked damaging the long-term sustainability of key species.

The DoE is encouraging the public to download the ‘Cayman DoE’ app to “instantly ensure all fishing activities are taking place within the regulated seasons and outside the Marine Reserves to avoid violation of the rules and potential prosecution from DoE Enforcement”.