Conch Island

Most people associate the animal "conch" with the pink-lipped shell that so often gets stuffed into a suitcase after a beach vacation - the kind that sounds like the ocean when you put it to your ear and makes a loud honk if you blow into it.

Conch meat could help solve local hunger problems.

But there's actually a creature that lives inside these souvenirs, and it's a staple in the diets of those who live in the Turks and Caicos island of Providenciales, home of the Caicos Conch Farm a farm carpeted with nothing but conch.

The farm - which sells conch meat online - belongs to Chuck Hesse, a former engineer who landed on Providenciales when trying to sail around the world 30 years ago. When he got sick, he docked his boat on the island, then became so fascinated by the creatures he found there that he never left.

"In marine biology, there are questions that lead to more questions, with no answers," he says. "I find that exciting."

Hesse, who is in his early 60s, sees the conch as a "miracle animal" for reasons both environmental and humanitarian. He thinks that the protein-rich meat, which can also be purchased online from Florida, could play a vital role in helping solve hunger problems in neighboring Haiti.

Haiti's natural supply of conch has been decimated by what Hesse calls "over harvesting beyond belief." He's hoping to create a self-sustainable conch farm in Haiti. This won't only help Haitians nutritionally, he says, it will also help revive the invaluable population. Conch is a "lawn mower" of the ocean, eating algae. Because so much of the ocean's conch has been caught, "no one is cutting the grass," says Hesse. This can lead to algae smothering the coral reef, thus changing the whole ecosystem.

And what about eating it? White and about the size of a hand, the meat can be dried and is especially good with hot sauce (Big John's Key West Hot Sauce is a popular one).

Want to see the critters for yourself? Farm tours conclude with an introduction to Jerry and Sally, both 8-year-old conchs. Famously personable, they'll unabashedly slither out of their shells and let you touch them.

Or you could just go to a local restaurant and eat their cousins.

Posted on April 10, 2006