Dear Editor,
The recent Bahamas National Trust first National Natural History Conference held at COB was notable for a number of reasons. The conference chronicled a number of scientific papers on a wide range of subjects in The Bahamas including butterflies, birds, crocodiles and giant turtle fossils; blue hole archaeology; spiders; rocks; groupers; lobsters; land forms and more. It was all alluring and exciting, but the most compelling for me was the plight of the conch. In summary, the research conducted by Community Conch in various sites throughout The Bahamas demonstrated the following dire facts:
o The density of queen conch has declined more than 90 percent in the deeper waters of the fishing grounds near Lee Stocking Island since surveys were initially conducted in the early 1990s.
o Within the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, a significant decline (69 percent) in adult density was found in shallow bank waters, though density of the deeper water population remained relatively high.
o Mating was virtually non-existent near Lee Stocking Island, with observation of only three mating pairs during two weeks of daily field surveys.
o Queen conch populations are rapidly declining below the critical thresholds for reproduction. o There is evidence that populations of queen conch in the northern and southern sections of Andros have been reduced by fishing. o We have also determined that conch reproduction is very low throughout the Berry Islands.
o Average 'adult' queen conch densities were the lowest found by Community Conch in four years of surveying commercial conching sites in The Bahamas. The Bahamian conch is under threat of being harvested and eaten into extinction in some areas and permanent decline in many other areas. The only good news is that we still have conch.
The Economist of April 27, 2013, in an article titled "Generation Jobless", chronicles a more insidious human threat: The plight of unemployed youth around the world. According to the article, an estimated 300 million young people between the age of 15 and 24 are not working. Whether in developed or developing countries, young people, with few exceptions, face daunting odds in getting a job. A special name has been coined for them: NEETs - youths not in employment, education or training. The reasons are as varied as the countries, but the result is the same: many idle minds, hands and bodies. Here at home we are painfully familiar with this dilemma, where youth unemployment is often double the official adult figure.
Just recently in The Nassau Guardian, the hospitality sector highlighted the problem. According to Stuart Bowe: "... We have a major skills shortage in The Bahamas - both soft and hard skills. This is exacerbated by a high turnover which according to the survey results is largely attributable to behavioral problems...". Youth unemployment is one of the most ominous blights affecting our nation. Its manifestations are crime, lost productivity, high teenage pregnancy, chronic idleness, frustration and often hopelessness. Can The Bahamas use the crisis of the conch and the plight of our youth to cause them to save each other?
Some nations have crafted comprehensive and expensive training programs - Germany and the Nordic countries being the most notable examples. However, many countries, ours included, do not have that luxury. As well, the legal infrastructure for the labor market does not encourage the sort of programs designed to get young people trained for the jobs employees want. The Bahamas, I believe, has the option of a more positive outcome and the conch can help our youth and our youth can save their conch. So how can Bahamian conch and youth help each other?
o Tradable skills: Working with scientists and saving the conch produces tradable skills for fishermen, divers, scholars, research assistants and marine stewards and boatmen.
o Tagging and placing adults: Restored wetlands and nursery areas will host adult conch populations that have been tagged and placed for long-term observation.
o Monitoring and measuring: Throughout The Bahamas monitoring and measuring for commercial or scientific purposes will mean better enforcement.
o Defence force: More Bahamian youth will have informed authority.
o Police force: More effective use of manpower through applied knowledge.
o National trust: Enhanced capacity for managing protected areas.
o Bahamas Reef Environment Education Foundation: Greater community penetration through sponsored training. o The College of The Bahamas: Leverage of research and expanded distribution of knowledge.
o Wetland restoration: Preserving and restoring wetlands means more habitat and nursery area for conch to hatch and grow.
o Products and services: More abundant conch stocks mean more products and services to sell.
o Hotels, restaurants, Arawak Cay: The perpetual enjoyment of this tasty mollusc will ensure the employment of thousands of Bahamians. As we bridge the gap between education and training, using conch and youth, we will expand national capacity in virtually every sphere of our way of life. We will build The Bahamas we want. A simple illustration shows how vital the conch is to, and analogous to, our way of life. At dockside in Lowe Sound, in The Bahamas, a conch is worth $1.
The same conch skinned sold at Montagu is worth $2.50 to $5. Made into a conch salad, $12. In a restaurant, chowder, cracked, scorched or salad, $14. Made into a fritter batter and sold at the fair, $20. Most of what goes into preparing conch the way we love it can be grown and produced here: cucumber, limes, onion, okra, peppers, tomatoes, thyme. Can you visualize the day when your cracked conch appears with a piece of boiled cassava or sweet potato? The way Bahamians prepare conch is inherently designed to leverage our labor and skills to greater commercial value. Labor is multiplied many times over when Bahamians use conch. Can we help our youth save the conch and each other?
- Earl D. Deveaux
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