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40 Years Of Conch Cracking In McLean's Town
Mc lean's Town, Grand Bahama -- The Eastern End of Grand Bahama will come alive on Friday, October 12, 2012 (Discovery Day Holiday) as residents, descendants and friends of McLean's Town come together to celebrate the 40th year of entertaining The Bahamas and the world with Conch Cracking Contest & Festival.
The conch salad evolution
Bahamian cuisine is really a melting pot of cuisines from a number of countries -- honestly, there isn't one dish that you can point to and say that's Bahamian. But if you really think about it, the conch salad may just be that national dish that we would like to say is all ours. It's a dish that most Bahamians love, and everyone has their favorite conch salad maker that they visit religiously. And it's a dish that as simple as "pie" to make and entails simple ingredients -- conch, tomatoes, onions, bell pepper, cucumber, celery and lime/orange -- with people adding in and taking out ingredients according to their likes and dislikes.
In recent times though the basic conch salad has seen an evolution as conch makers gave in to their creativity. Don't be surprised to see your favorite conch salad vendor mixing up a batch with fruit like pineapple, mango and apple thrown in. Or even boiling the conch skin (with seasonings of their choice), a portion of the conch that was usually discarded, and making what is known as a boiled skin salad -- which is simply a regular conch salad made with the boiled skin which they say is more tender and less chewy.
One such vendor giving in to his creative side and doling out more than just a standard conch salad is Stephen 'Popeye' Dean, 35, who recently opened Popeye's Conch Stall at Thompson Boulevard and Moss Street at The Reef.
According to Dean, conch salad makers are being challenged to be more creative with making conch salad, all because of a curveball that was thrown by a conch salad maker out of Grand Bahama. He said it was a Grand Bahamian conch salad maker that initially put apples into his conch salad first. Consequently he said it was a Grand Bahamian vendor that also started the trend of adding the juice from an orange to the salad as well. As there were times when sour oranges were difficult to find, so to temper the sharpness of the limes that had to be used, the juice from an orange was added. Before that trend, it was pure lime or sour orange juice.
"People were like 'oh I like this [apple in the conch salad]' and we went with it and it just took off," he said.
It was from that initial foray that conch salad makers started adding mangos, with pineapple being the most recent addition. Dean said he is in the process of contemplating adding strawberries.
The conch salad vendor of 19 years said the secret to adding fruit to conch salad is to use fresh fruit that is not too ripe. If it's too ripe, he said the salad will in turn be too sweet, and that is not the flavor profile that is being sought. With the addition of the fruit he said, the conch salad flavor should still come through with just a hint of sweetness.
As what is known as the conch salad begins to take on even more flavor profiles, Dean said the one thing he doesn't want to see happen is for the conch salad to lose its flavor as people start to go overboard. He said he recently heard of someone putting plantain into a conch salad.
"I don't think we should take the conch salad too much further because it will make it too costly most importantly -- the more fruits added in, the more the salad will go up. Then there's the fact that if you put too much fruit in it, it won't add up to the right taste. You want the basic taste of the conch salad, but to give people that extra taste of something that will make them go hmmm," said Dean.
Dean offers seven salad offerings at his stall -- regular conch salad, tropical conch salad, scorch conch salad, whelk and conch salad, boiled skin salad, herb salad and lobster salad.
And he said making conch salad is definitely an art form he would like to see people do correctly -- and includes knowing how to select the correct limes and oranges. If the citrus is starting to turn, he said the salad definitely would not taste right. And he said the citrus should be cut and squeezed a certain way as well, so as to not allow any bitterness to seep into the salad.
Who knows where conch salad will be taken next, but for right now, Dean said requests for tropical conch salads are keeping pace with his sales for the regular salad.
And if you're not a fan of conch salad with all the herbs, Dean said you can get a tropical scorched conch in which the only vegetable added is the onion and the fruit with the conch.
Dean got his start at the stall of the late Leroy 'B Man' Sands at the Fish Fry at Arawak Cay, when there only three stalls on the now bustling thoroughfare.
The then 16-year-old said he learned how to make the conch salad from the ground up. Before he was even given permission to hold a knife, he said he was only allowed to lift the conch shell. He then advanced to cracking the conch out of the shell, which he said he had to sit and watch to learn how to do properly before he was tasked with skinning the conch, all of which he had to be before he was given a knife to make his first conch salad.
Popeye's Conch Stall is located at Thompson Boulevard and Moss Street at The Reef. Dean's operating hours are 12 noon to 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
Conch and Bahamian Youth
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...
'Conchservation' eyes ban on exports
Key stakeholders in the national "Conchservation" campaign are advocating a possible ban on conch exports until the domestic reserves reach acceptable levels.
Following the launch of Conchservation last weekend, the Bahamas National Trust (BNT) and the Bahamas Commercial Fishers Alliance (BCFA) are in open dialogue on the way forward. Both parties agree that the conch population has reached a "critical stage", and rather than implementing an open season, meaningful changes are needed to save the iconic mollusc.
"We export around 500,000 pounds of conch each year," said Neil McKinney, the president of BNT. "According to the Department of Marine Resources, there are around three conch to a pound. So that's 1.5 million being exported every year. It is more than the stocks can bear."
Allaying the concerns of the fishing community, the BNT president said banning conch fishing outright or imposing a specific season could possibly be avoided. Fishermen are reluctant to allow a season because many Bahamians make ends meet on conch when crawfish season is closed.
Adrian La Roda, BCFA spokesperson, said banning conch exports would be a welcomed policy.
He said a compromise for BCFA is not to reduce exports but eliminate them entirely. While conch exporters might not relish the idea, he pointed out that 1.5 million conchs does not represent a large industry.
"It will have a minimum effect on exports and a big impact on the population. We think the domestic population will be better served by harvesting for local consumption only," he explained. "We are not going to support a closed season or any sort of ban. We need other means to reach a solution."
La Roda also argued that a ban on exports would make the Bahamian conch more "special" and a greater draw for tourists.
Whether exports are banned or not, McKinney told Guardian Business that last weekend's event is only a first step.
He said education must now kick in whereby Bahamians stop harvesting conchs that have yet to mature and spawn. He also called for the outlaw of fishing methods whereby underwater breathing apparatuses, typically used for lobster, allow fishermen to dive below 60 feet and take immature conches.
Another issue both sides seem to agree on are reserves so the existing conch population can breed undisturbed.
"How big would those reserves be? And how many would it take to sustain and eventually grow the stock?" he asked. "How will it be managed or enforced? We've reached a crucial stage where these questions and more needed to be answered."
Fishermen fear conch season
Amid a national campaign to save the conch, fishermen fear radical measures could jeopardize their livelihoods.
The precious mollusc plays a crucial role in the country's economy, culture and national identity. However, overfishing, premature harvesting and poaching by foreign vessels have reduced the conch population to alarming levels.
Many environmentalists worry the conch could be pushed to the brink of extinction. Bahamians will have their chance to offer their concerns and recommendations at the official launch of "Conchservation" tomorrow at Arawak Cay from noon until 4 p.m.
Adrian La Roda, a spokesperson for the Bahamas Commercial Fishers
Alliance (BCFA), said that industry supports the sustainable harvesting of marine resources.
Careful thought and consultation should take place with fishermen, he said, to ensure no hasty decisions are made.
"We do not agree with specifying a conch season," he explained. "Sustainability is first and foremost, but the implementation of conservation efforts has to be well thought out and not done by a select group of people. Trust me, the information fishermen have is more valuable."
La Roda argues that imposing seasonal fishing or an outright ban would cripple the industry. Instead, the BCFA is pushing for protected areas and having established nurseries.
"They would have enough of a population to sustain the other areas that are not protected. Conchs will eventually migrate," he told Guardian Business. "Right now they would love to say, put in a season or close it down. We would never agree to it. But we do agree there needs to be conservation."
One stumbling block to progress is the government does not have the resources to perform accurate marine studies, La Roda said. The only solution is to go directly to Bahamians that are actively harvesting the conch.
Jared Dillet, co-coordinator of the Conchservation campaign, agreed that there are sparse statistics when it comes to conch. Little is known about how much conch is consumed domestically on a yearly basis. While the animal is apparently the country's second largest export, after lobster, the campaign did not know exactly how much is sold abroad on an annual basis.
All Dillet knows is more information is needed and a national dialogue is underway.
"This is about engagement. We have to take it to the people and have some intense discussions," he said.
When asked by Guardian Business if enforcing a conch season is on the table, he said, "I'm sure it will be there. But there are other management measures, such has ensuring conchs being harvested are of a certain maturity. Enforcement isn't our mandate, but there are provisions out there that if a conch is immature, there is a fine and possible imprisonment."
Policing illegal conch fishing, however, is entirely another matter in an archipelagic nation. The Bahamas has struggled with enforcing the rules and regulations of the fishing industry for years, particularly the issue of poaching from neighboring countries.
Dillet said these realities can not be used as an excuse, or a cultural symbol of The Bahamas could indeed fade away.
"If we do not manage the resource, it can go towards extinction. We have to look at our stocks and make decisions," he said.
The Conchservation campaign is being spearheaded by the Bahamas National Trust (BNT). Back in March, the Sandals Foundation made a $15,000 donation to get the campaign started. U.S. environmentalist and attorney Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will attend tomorrow's event.
Conch farming 'too expensive and complicated'
Conch farming is too expensive for the public sector and conservation efforts should be focused on wild stocks, according to Jared Dillet, coordinator of the new "Conchservation" initiative.
Dillet said farming could indeed be profitable and help bolster the species, but because it is so capital intensive, only a select few could delve into such a venture.
"Most of the time you have to do a pilot project first. The one relief you would get is the equipment brought in for farming is duty free," Dillet explained. "I know in Turks and Caicos it took millions in personal investment before they refined the process. At the Bahamas National Trust (BNT), I can't comment on the feasibility of a private enterprise. What we are hoping is for best practice among the wild stocks."
Conchservation, the nationwide campaign to save the iconic Bahamian mollusc, launches tomorrow at Arawak Cay. Environmentalists, politicians, entrepreneurs,
fishermen and everyone in between are invited to participate in dialogue that will eventually result in a new strategy.
The precious mollusc plays a crucial role in the country's economy, culture and national identity. However, overfishing, premature harvesting and poaching by foreign vessels have reduced the conch population to alarming levels.
Adrian La Roda, spokesperson for the Bahamas Commercial Fishers Alliance (BCFA), said conch farming is "more complicated " than people realize.
Unlike standard fish, the environment and water temperature must be very specific and tweaked to ensure effective breeding. Juvenile conches, he said, live in very deep water until it's time to mate. Conches then migrate to shallow waters once they reach sexual maturity.
"They also require a lot of mangroves," he said.
"It is not impossible at all. If the effort is put in, it can be done. The difference with us and other places that do it, is we have so much water and harvestable areas for conch, the economics of getting into it is not always worth the effort."
Those economics, however, could rapidly change in the coming years as the conch population continues to dwindle.
For his part, La Roda believes that the species can be saved without conch farming.
The BCFA spokesperson is urging those behind "Conchservation" to consult closely with fishermen and listen to their recommendations, as this industry truly understands the situation under the sea.
(VIDEO) Conch Salad TV Launched with the Great Conch Race
Abaco, The Bahamas - How fast can a conch be cleaned? Conch Salad TV
found out in "The Great Conch Race"! Watch local Bahamians clean conch
against the clock in Conch Salad TV's first video.
Conch Salad TV
provides an online Bahamas video magazine for visitors and Bahamians by
Bahamians. Conch Salad TV will go off the beaten path and dive deep into
island life, the culture, natural beauty and national issues in The
Bahamas...
(VIDEO) Conch Salad TV Launched with the Great Conch Race
Abaco, The Bahamas - How fast can a conch be cleaned? Conch Salad TV
found out in "The Great Conch Race"! Watch local Bahamians clean conch
against the clock in Conch Salad TV's first video.
Conch Salad TV
provides an online Bahamas video magazine for visitors and Bahamians by
Bahamians. Conch Salad TV will go off the beaten path and dive deep into
island life, the culture, natural beauty and national issues in The
Bahamas...
(VIDEO) Conch Salad TV Launched with the Great Conch Race
Abaco, The Bahamas - How fast can a conch be cleaned? Conch Salad TV
found out in "The Great Conch Race"! Watch local Bahamians clean conch
against the clock in Conch Salad TV's first video.
Conch Salad TV
provides an online Bahamas video magazine for visitors and Bahamians by
Bahamians. Conch Salad TV will go off the beaten path and dive deep into
island life, the culture, natural beauty and national issues in The
Bahamas...
Official: Underwater harvesting of conch hurting fishing industry
Poachers are "beating the system" through a loophole in the country's fisheries regulations which one fisheries official said is allowing them to harvest undersized catches.
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