The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) sued NOAA Fisheries over inadequate queen conch protection, noting the agency has yet to designate critical habitat for the snail despite listing the species as a threatened under the Endangered Species Act
“The Fisheries Service’s failure to protect the coral reefs and other places where the queen conch lives is driving this iconic snail closer to extinction,” CBD attorney Alex Muir said in a release. “Without this crucial protection, we’ll have to watch pollution, dredging, and climate change continue to threaten these charming marine snails. What’s so frustrating is that this is preventable. If federal officials move quickly to shield their habitat, it’d give these conchs a fighting chance as they struggle to survive devastating overharvesting.”
Queen conch is one of the most valuable species in the Caribean Sea, where they are harvested both for their meat and their shells, according to NOAA Fisheries. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has listed queen conch in Appendix II since 1992, claiming the snails could go extinct without trade controls.
The U.S. government was petitioned in 2012 to list the species under the ESA, but NOAA Fisheries determined in 2014 that listing wasn’t warranted. That determination was challenged in court by conservation groups, and a judge ultimately vacated the decision. In response, NOAA Fisheries conducted a new review of queen conch, ultimately leading the agency to list the species as threatened in 2024.
However, the agency noted that “critical habitat is not yet determinable,” adding that such designation would be added in a separate rulemaking. It has not done so yet, leading CBD to file suit 8 July, asking a court to force the agency to designate critical habitat for queen conch.
“The queen conch is an icon across its range, from the Conch Republic in the Florida Keys to the azure waters of the Virgin Islands,” Muir said. “The conch’s continued decline harms coastal cultures as much as it harms the marine ecosystems where they live. I’m hopeful this lawsuit will force the Fisheries Service to do its job and keep the queen conch from going extinct on its watch.”
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump recently listed the transition of queen conch to territorial management as a priority for the Caribbean Fishery Management Council to pursue.
