Protecting the Queen Conch at Xel-Há

There is so much to see and do at Xel-Há Water Park. It's billed as 'the largest natural aquarium in the world'. With all that there is on offer, tourists often miss that they are seeing something very rare indeed. This is the home of the endangered Queen Conch! Over-exploited by generations of fishing, this reclusive creature is on the very brink of extinction. Yet, armed with funding from the European Union, scientists from three continents have now arrived to see what they can do.


The Queen Conch (pronounced Konk-g) has fascinated humans for centuries. Their meat is a staple of the finer restaurants. It is second, in culinary popularity, only to the escargot, when it comes to edible snails. Nothing goes to waste, as every part of the conch can be devoured, though many profess to enjoying the 'white' meat only.

Their ornate pink shells often turn up in shops, bought to decorate private aquariums or to hang about in the garden. More prosaicly, conch shells have been used as home security, embedded into the top of walls, where the sharpened edges deter those thinking of climbing over.

Depictions of the ancient Maya have shown them using these shells as ink wells or bugles. Children of all ages still love to blow into the emptied shells, to produce a deep, resounding noise; or to listen into them to hear 'the sound of the ocean'.

Pink pearls are sometimes found inside these shells. They are destined to be fitted into beautiful jewellry.


The conch isn't known for its speed of flight. It's the original sitting duck, just waiting for someone to pluck it from the seabed and take it to its doom. As a result, the 'harvest' of Queen Conch has gone on unabated throughout all of recorded history. It's only as recently as 2003 that it was recognized how critically endangered it had become.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) recommended that a blanket ban on the import and export of conch be effected immediately. Most Caribbean countries have complied. Domestically, there are also either bans or restrictions placed upon fishing Queen Conch.

In the Mexico state of Yucatan, the Queen Conch is protected at all times of the year. Next door, in Quintana Roo, fishing it is prohibited during the months of February through to October. Even during the rest of the year, only Queen Conch of a certain girth may be taken from the ocean.

For those tourists who have managed to purchase Queen Conch shells, or items made from them, then a shock may await them at home. In some European countries, these are the number one most seized items by customs. They take CITES recommendations very seriously.


Which leads us nicely to what is happening in Xel-Há Water Park right now. In 2009, staff at the park teamed up with academics from the Centre for Research and Advanced Studies of National Polytechnic Institute (CINVESTAV-IPN), based in Mérida. Their project is entitled, 'Protection and Preservation of Queen Conch (Strombus gigas)', and is headed up by award-winning environmental specialist, Dr. Dalila Aldana Aranda.

The aim of the project is to study the Queen Conch, discovering more about their biological cycle and the circumstances in which it thrives. Moreover, additional data about climate change can be gathered from examining the shells. The idea is to work out how to protect the remaining creatures and to help the species back from its critical state.

Recently, the European Union got on board. Their money has not only allowed the purchase of some important, but expensive, equipment to aid this research, but it's also been used to bring in more specialists. Australia's James Cook University and France's University of Western Brittany have both sent people trained in this field. Erwan Amice, Laurent Chauvaud and Thomas Stieglitz now work full time, under the direction of Dr Aldana.


Dr Aldana at Xel-Há
Of course, for the rest of Xel-Há Water Park, live goes on as normal. Tourists jump off cliffs into crystalline waters; lounge on hammocks on white sand beaches; discover the jungle, on foot or on a hired bicycle; or vist the El Dorado cave, with its unique geological formations around a blue-green pool.

But for those snorkelling, scuba diving or sea trekking, in the open Caribbean Sea, then a glimpse of something very special might await. They might spot the Queen Conch waiting on the ocean floor, easily seen through those clear waters; or they could observe the academics at their vital work, studying and protecting this endangered species.

Next time you are there, keep a sharp eye open. Unless the project is successful, then you might be the last generation ever to see a live Queen Conch.




Tulum & Xel-Ha All Inclusive
Combine Maya history with natural beauty! Tour the Tulúm ruins, then swim in the Xel Ha natural aquarium.

Xel-Ha All Inclusive
An incredible natural aquatic theme park and Mayan archaelogical ruins.

Barracuda in the Mexican Caribbean

There is something quite sinister about things with teeth in the ocean. It's a consideration that is particularly keen when you're immersed in said ocean, wearing only a swimsuit and a snorkel mask. Suddenly any shape, half glimpsed from the corner of your eye, is a shark. You turn quickly and face it head on. It's a bit of coral. You try to still your thundering heart and resolve not to think of the 's' word. Then a second word creeps into your consciousness: barracuda.

The 1970s have a lot to answer for. After the global success of 'Jaws' (1975), it seemed that any company with a camera and an ocean was making a 'horror in the deep' movie. (We've already covered sharks in a previous blog.) In 1978, along came 'Barracuda'. Its opening scene had two divers devoured by a battery of barracuda. The sea around them turns red with blood. The camera follows a severed hand rising to the surface. Screams abound. Scary stuff.

It's only as the movie progresses that we discover that chemicals have been released into the ocean. Their pollutants cause aggression in everyone and everything that drinks it. Its exposure to this that has the barracuda riled to the tips of their fins. Mutant barracuda, in fact, not natural behaviour at all. But by then, who cares? All that's crept into the cultural mindset are the over-riding facts: barracuda live in the ocean; they have teeth; they will eat you. This naturally gives people pause, when they learn that the Mexican Caribbean is home to barracuda.



There was also a 1997 film called 'Barracuda', but that was a 'Misery' rip-off and didn't involve fish.

Reversing out of the theaters, it's time to look at the reality of these much maligned creatures. First of all, it's worth noting that there are 27 different species of barracuda; yet only one, the Great Barracuda, has been reported to attack humans. Yes, the Great Barracuda does live in the Mexican Caribbean.

However, these attacks are rare. Prof Donald Perrin de Sylva (University of Miami), the world's leading authority on the Great Barracuda, stated that there have been only 25 confirmed cases in the past century. They have usually got a good cause attached to them though. Either the person attacked was attempting to spear the barracuda with a harpoon at the time; or else they were swimming in murky waters, whilst wearing shiny jewelry. In short, their jewelry looked like a tasty fish and, therefore, dinner.

Right there is your big 'surviving an encounter with a barracuda' tip. Don't swim in murky waters (easy to achieve in the crystal clear Caribbean, as long as you avoid the mangrove estuaries); and ensure that you remove shiny jewelry if you want to enter such places. (If the barracuda can see you clearly, then you could be bedecked with all the Mexican gold in the country and they won't attack. They will clearly see that you're not a fish.) Also, unless you're aiming for a Darwin Award, don't attempt to harpoon them whilst standing two feet away. If you do see one, then keep calm and don't make lots of jerky movements. Just back away, carefully and precisely, so that you both can go about your day.

Most unexpected meetings are similiar to that experienced by blogger, Mellasview, in her 'What to do if you see a Barracuda in the Water':

'...seeing this spectacular predator in the water, as stiff as a board was by far the most awesome sight I saw while vacationing. It had a mysterious power to it, and was the only fish I saw that seemed to sit so still that it looked frozen. Like a hummingbird, it was quite a beautiful, yet mysterious sight to see.'

In this case, Mellasview was swimming when she noticed the Great Barracuda just three feet away. She was wearing a shiny bracelet at the time. She covered that up and backed away slowly. The Great Barracuda did not attack.

Human beings are not the prey of the Great Barracuda. They prefer fish. However, they can be intensely curious about us. Many a diver has spotted a barracuda, just lying stationary in the ocean, watching him/her. One of the major theories is that humans often equate disturbed fish, especically when the anglers are around, which is another way of saying 'buffet time!' to the barracuda. 99% of the time, they will just watch, then go away. Or watch, then swim closer to see better, then go away.

Many of the businesses in the Riviera Maya rely upon taking tourists out to sea. The snorkeling trips, the boat trips, the fishing trips, the diving trips and dozens of others, all involve taking human beings deep into barracuda territory. It's estimated that over 566,000 people have entered the Caribbean Sea, around Cancún alone, every year. Yet the local and international media remains resolutely unsaturated with barracuda attack stories. These attractions would soon close down, if the tourists were regularly bitten.

Incidentally, I should pause at this point to emphasize 'bitten'. Barracuda don't kill human beings (unless through food poisoning, after a meal of them turned out to contain ciguatera). Even the most ferocious barracuda attacks on record simply required a bit of surgery or some stitches. They move with lightning speed, take one bite, then disappear off into the ether. As soon as the victims know that it's happened, it's already over bar the hospital visit. And again, let's restate that 25 cases in 100 years (globally) statistic.

The sports fishing community often have more trouble. But it's not themselves who are the targets. It's their catch.

This travel blog photo's source is TravelPod page: The remains of our catch post Barracuda attack, Tobacco Caye, Belize

Barracuda will quite happily surround a fishing boat, waiting for their meal to be lured onto the hook. Then they hurry in for a feast and leave just the head for the bemused fishing folk to pose with. If it's the wily barracuda itself that's been hooked, then you get the infamous reports of it flying through the air, onto the boat, then back off into the ocean. It's simply removing the hook from its own mouth and is clever enough to know that upwards is the way to do it.

In conclusion, yes, there are barracuda here. But you're highly unlikely to be attacked by them. Happy swimming!

Monster Fishing in Mexico

As any sports fisherman will tell you, Mexico is the place to go for the big catches. Peak season is dying down, but August is still boom time for these intrepid anglers. The reports are coming in, thick and fast, of landed monster fish worthy of a photograph to frame for the wall back home.

Take, for example, this snippet from Jonathan Roldan's 'Tailhunter Fish Report':

Tony Toven from Los Angeles had gotten enough "football tuna" and asked Captain Pancho to try for one of the bigger models. He hooked up on a big chunk of fresh squid over the trench off Las Arenas and was in for a big fight. By the time they got it to gaff, the fish had towed the panga into shallow water... The fish weighed in at 63 pounds (on a scale). Tuna continued to crash this past week for our anglers!
La Paz/ Las Arenas Fishing Report from Tailhunter International for Week of Aug. 1-7, 2010

Please click on the above link for a whole picture gallery of huge catches, plus blog entries telling all the stories from some amazing fishing expeditions around La Paz and Las Arenas.

Meanwhile, Seann, from Sport Fishermen, was reporting back from further down the Pacific coast. In Puerto Vallarta, there were blue marlin, black marlin, stripers, sailfish and tuna darting through the clear, blue waters.

The tuna bite was also red hot. The crew nailed 6 in about 3 hours, all about 40-60 lbs. One of the best days on water of the year, you cant ask for more. Our Annual Marlin and Tuna Tournament is coming up August 12th-14th. From what I've heard so far, it's going to be a bigger turnout than last year and the way the fishing is going right now it should be blast!
Marlin Report Puerto Vallarta

For more information about the Annual Marlin and Tuna Tournament, please click here.

Meanwhile, over on the other side of the country, Abu Fishing was showing videos of deep sea fishing in Cancún.



If you fancy your hand at fishing in Mexico, then peak season in the Yucatán is March to July; while the Pacific Ocean has the greatest variety of fish from November to January. That's only peak season though. As the reports above show, the bites are still great during the rest of the year too. You will be guaranteed at least one fish caught no matter when you come. Most tours don't even require you to bring a rod, as the boats are fully equipped. Just sit back, sail out and let those big fish come to you!

The Lionfish Situation

While everyone waits anxiously for news about how the Gulf of Mexico oil leak will affect migrating sea life, there is one species that marine biologists wish would just go away. The lionfish might look impressive, but it's also a voracious predator currently experiencing a population boom in the region.



The lionfish is a favorite of tropical fish tanks across the world. Tourists often squeal with delight to see them in the oceans, because they now know for certain that they are in the tropics. That is if the white sands, turquoise sea and palm trees hadn't already given them the clue. However, it's not native to these waters. No-one had seen one in the Mexican Caribbean until January 2009.

Lionfish should be in the Pacific Ocean, specifically around the Indian Pacific. Their range covers Western Australia, Malayasia, French Polynesia, the Pitcairn Islands, South Korea and Japan. Until recently, it didn't include the Gulf of Mexico and the Mexican Caribbean. Now, it most definitely does. Their numbers have grown to critical level in the waters around Cozumel particularly.

No-one knows why they are here. The major theory is that Hurricane Andrew destroyed an aquarium in Florida, USA, releasing the lionfish into their oceans. They then just migrated down into the Caribbean. However, this view has been challenged by NOAA ecologist James Morris Jr, who was spotting them around Florida as early as 1985. The amended guess then is that Floridean tropical tank owners have been privately releasing the lionfish into the oceans, perhaps when they wanted to close down their tank. This is not unknown. Lionfish have been found as far afield as the waters off Long Island, New York, and in the Mediterranean Sea, both as a result of tropical fish tank owners letting them go. Those captured, in the Caribbean, have been proven, through DNA, to all be descended from the same six or seven fish.

Lionfish are not generally deadly for human beings. They will keep their distance for a start, being extremely wary of us. Even if they did sting a human, with their venomous dorsal fins, the affected area would simply be painful. A good soaking in some warm water would sort that out.

It's only those experiencing an allergic reaction to the venom who need to worry, in the same way as some people aren't good with wasps. That said, the current medical advice is to have a sting checked out at a hospital, just in case.

However, for the smaller marine life, lionfish pose a greater threat than all of the sharks and other natural predators put together. The lionfish's favorite snack are those algae-eating creatures. These help to protect the coral reefs, as a build up of algae could hinder the growth of the reefs. From late afternoon until dawn, lionfish are travelling up and down the coral, eating whole any unfortunate herbivore fish that crosses their path. As many as 185 juvenile native fish a day could be eaten by just one lionfish. This includes some species that were already endangered.

With such a buffet on hand, and no natural predators in the area, the numbers of lionfish are increasing every day. The females can each produce up to 30,000 offspring! The lionfish here are also growing much bigger than their usual 12cm (5"); some as big as 55cm (22") have been seen. Volunteer divers are capturing them and killing them on sight.

Meanwhile, some enterprising local events have been staged, as a way of disposing of lionfish, while also highlighting the situation. Ricardo Gomez Lozano, director of the Cozumel National Marine Park, organized a lionfish tournament recently. Divers and fishers set out to land as many as they could, with the winner being the one with the biggest catch. They were caught live and dropped into ice water, as a humane way of killing them. Tournament over, and this being Mexico, everyone relaxed with a barbecue on the beach.

"This is the beginning of the invasion for us, but we have seen how quickly infestations have developed elsewhere." Ricardo Gomez Lozano warned, "We have to act quickly."

So if you are a fishing enthusiast or a diver and wish to do your bit for the environment, please do come down to Mexico on a lionfish hunt. Your coral reef needs you! For safe, effective hunting and cooking of them, please visit the Lionfish Hunter website.