Hop to it: research from Shedd Aquarium tracks conch movement to set new conservation guidance

A new study published in Conservation Biology examines the behavior and distributions of queen conch (Aliger gigas) to guide conservation management for the threatened sea snail. The research, which tracked adult snail movements, suggests that establishing a 330-meter spatial buffer – about the height of the Eiffel Tower by comparison – around breeding areas could help protect conch populations and serve as a practical tool for local management.

Queen conch are giant herbivorous marine snails that do not crawl slowly along and leave slime trails. Instead, conch move across the seafloor by hopping, using a muscular foot to propel themselves upward and forward. Movement is an essential behavior for conch because it allows the snails to form aggregations, or groups, for reproduction and defense. However, these aggregations also allow conch – an ecologically and culturally important species – to be harvested easily and left vulnerable to overfishing.

“I have been surveying queen conch for a decade, but the first time I watched a conch hop, it startled me,” said Dr. Andy Kough, a research biologist at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago and lead author of the study. “We wanted to leverage this unique behavior to gather data and help inform conservation efforts, but we needed new tools to do so.”

“Our team built and deployed custom biologgers that record when a conch is actively hopping and moving versus when it is staying still,” said Dr. Ben Gutzler, a scientist at Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve in Maine and study co-author.

To study the movements of conch, researchers from Shedd Aquarium and Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve used several complementary methods. Aboard Shedd’s research vessel, the R/V Coral Reef II, staff and volunteers observed conch underwater and measured hundreds of individual hops. At two sites off the Florida coast, the team attached biologgers to 42 conch, tracking their movements across different habitats and seasons. Divers also conducted extensive surveys in The Bahamas to map conch distributions over hundreds of kilometers. Finally, scientists combined these field observations with mathematical models to understand how conch movement shapes the size of aggregations, where the species occurs and why conch distribution appears patchy across the seafloor.

“By combining a variety of research methods, this study determines the minimum space needed to protect breeding aggregations of conch,” said Dr. Kough. “These areas are small enough to be managed locally and quickly, giving resource managers a spatial conservation tool to use in response to dynamic threats such as targeted overfishing or habitat destruction.”

Although conch are listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, there are currently few practical management options available for conservation managers tasked with safeguarding these threatened populations. This new study enables conservationists to consider conch behavior and movement when developing management strategies, including minimizing disturbances within 330 meters of a breeding aggregation.

Additionally, people across the country can join Shedd Aquarium in advocating for animals, like queen conch, to continue protecting them under the Endangered Species Act by sending a customizable template letter to lawmakers.

For more information about Shedd’s ongoing queen conch research efforts, visit the website.

This research was supported in part by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums Conservation Grants Fund.

ABOUT CONCH: The queen conch is an important marine species with ecological, economic and cultural significance. This animal plays a key role in marine ecosystems, grazing on algae and organic matter to help maintain habitat health and function. The large sea snails also serve as an important prey source for various animals, including sharks, sea turtles and lobsters. Queen conch are a valuable seafood resource, providing livelihoods to many coastal communities and serving as a cultural icon in many Caribbean nations. Unfortunately, overfishing and habitat loss have led to a decline in queen conch populations across their range, resulting in the species being listed in 2024 as threatened under the United States Endangered Species Act.