With the world’s only Conch Festival rapidly approaching to celebrate the long legacy of conch (pronounced “conk”) in these islands, we thought it would be a good time to highlight the culinary and curative benefits of this momentous mollusk.

Conch is probably the first inhabitant of the Turks and Caicos Islands and has deep historical, economical and cultural significance to the people here. 

Anyone who’s visited the Caribbean or even southern Florida will be familiar with conch in popular dishes such as conch chowder, conch salad and conch fritters. The mild flavor and versatile texture of this shellfish means the meat can be used in a wide variety of ways.  And, in Turks and Caicos it is.  

When you visit Turks and Caicos you will be able to enjoy creative conch creations such as grilled conch, conch ceviche, conch burgers, conch wontons, conch spring rolls and conch pasta.   These are dishes you can find on a regular basis.  If you come to the Conch Festival (November 24, 2012) you’ll be able to experience a whole day of nothing but conch.   In past years at the festival there was conch chili, conch carpaccio and even conch ice cream.   Who knows what will be on display this year? Should you miss the Conch Festival, the beachfront Mango Reef Restaurant at the Alexandra Resort has a plethora of Conch and other seafood dishes on the menu.

In addition to tasting great, conch fans know that this sea snail is packed with loads of medicinal benefits and provides one of the highest sources of protein.   All parts of the conch are edible.  Conch is credited with strengthening the immune system, helping fight off symptoms of stress and even keeping lungs healthy (the blowing of the conch shell, which was done as a form of communications, requires a tremendous amount of respiratory capacity).   Perhaps one of the most notable conch-eating benefits is its use as a natural alternative to Viagara.  Legend has it that if you eat the worm-like translucent tube found inside the conch it will work as an aphrodisiac.

The Queen Conch is the type of conch found in Turks and Caicos.   The meat is prepared fresh and also preserved in sea salt and dried.  (There is a folk song here about how the old conch is better than the fresh conch).  Its shell was used as a horn for communications and sometimes as building material and decorative pieces.  

Eating conch is enjoyable and beneficial.  Finding conch is fun and exciting.   When you visit us at Alexandra Resort next, be sure to book an outing with Caicos Dream Tours so you can experience conch in its natural environment.   The team at Caicos Dream Tours will take you out on a snorkeling excursion where you’ll be able to find live conch hiding out in the sea grass slowly inching their way along the sea floor.   It’s an incredible sight. 

Then top off the day, try some conch salad!

Come learn about the life cycle of the Queen conch, from egg mass to harvested adult. You will see first hand the processes and technology the only commercial conch farm in the world has developed over the past 20 years. The tour will start in the gift shop with a quick biology lesson and a description of our hatchery technology, from there the tour takes the guests through the Metamorphosis buildings and the Post Larval facilities. Guests are then able to bend over and pick up one of the farms 2 million conch housed in the onshore ponds. The offshore pasture, filled with circular pens to rear the conch until they are harvested, serves as the backdrop to the entire tour. The tour ends up with Sally and Jerry, the resident wild conch, who are brought out to give guests a good photo opportunity to take home to friends and family.

All tour leaders are local Turks Islanders who can provide wonderful insights to local culture as well as recommendations for dining or leisure spots on the island.

FAQs

1. How do you pronounce conch?
   Conk
2. Is conch a snail?
   It is a marine snail, also known as a gastropod mollusk. The conch is classified in the phylum Mollusca , class Gastropoda, order Mesogastropoda.
3. Can you eat conch?
   Yes, the Queen conch has been, and continues to be on of the major protein sources in the Caribbean diet as well as being exported internationally.
4. Where are you located?
   At Heaving Down Rock, at the end of the Leeward Highway, on the island of Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, BWI
5. How many conch farms are there?
   One, The Caicos Conch Farm is the only one on the world.

Farm History

Trade Wind Industries, Ltd was incorporated in 1984 with a vision of pioneering a pan-Caribbean conch mariculture industry that would benefit the region by providing jobs, stimulating economic growth, supplying a low-cost source of protein, and protecting wild conch stocks from exploitation. The queen conch, scientifically Strombus gigas, has been a staple of the Caribbean for at least a thousand years. Its meat provides a major source of protein for the region, while its shell has been used for tools, weapons, jewelry, ceremonial objects, and as a construction material. Over-fishing has depleted wild stocks of conch; today it is now listed on the CITES Appendix II, as a commercially endangered species. Despite Caribbean-wide country quotas on harvesting wild conch, the remaining conch population continues to decline rapidly as over-fishing continues. Conch harvests are a major source of food and income for many local people, and without a source of replacement income they continue to harvest conch. Twenty years ago sixteen Caribbean/Latin American countries exported conch to the world market place; today only three still have commercial quantities of wild conch to offer to the market place.

In 1984, Chuck Hesse, TWI's founder and CEO, realized the potential to simultaneously help the environment, employ local fishermen, and generate profitable returns by farming conch.

TWI's goals are to expand conch production at its farm in the Turks & Caicos and to license grow-out farms throughout the Caribbean. Achieving these goals will increase supply and reduce production and shipping costs. Once adequate supply is established, TWI will expand its marketing into Asia, where conch is in high demand, both for its nutritional benefits and acknowledged cultural and aphrodisiac properties.

While achieving its goals, TWI will continue research to lower the cost to produce farmed conch below that of harvesting it from the wild. History has shown that once farmed product is in the marketplace at prices lower than that of wild conch, the wild stocks will be able to recover.

One of the most popular annual events in the Turks & Caicos Islands is the Conch Festival.  Did you know the Turks & Caicos also has the only conch farm in the world?  Plan on attending this great event on November 26 and enjoy great food and live music.  For more information visit www.conchfestival.com.