Students Dive into Queen Conch Science with NOAA Scientists

This spring, NOAA Fisheries scientists traveled to Puerto Rico to complete a multiyear effort to better understand queen conch populations across the U.S. Caribbean. While conducting underwater surveys around the island, they were joined by students from Texas A&M University who were in Puerto Rico for a marine field methods course. This partnership led to greater efficiency and coverage for the NOAA conch surveys, while also providing real-world experience that students can add to their resumes.

Studying an Iconic Caribbean Species

Queen conch are one of the Caribbean's most important and recognizable marine species. They are commonly found in seagrass beds and sandy habitats, though scientists also encounter them in unexpected places, including around mangrove roots. The species plays an important role in coastal ecosystems and holds cultural and economic significance throughout the region.

NOAA scientists survey one U.S. Caribbean island each year, including St. Thomas, St. John, St. Croix and, this year, Puerto Rico. The surveys are designed to determine where queen conch are found, how abundant they are, and whether populations contain enough mature adults to sustain reproduction.

Joining the Survey

As NOAA Fisheries scientists began surveying Puerto Rico's waters, they quickly found themselves with extra sets of hands. A cohort of Texas A&M University students were already on the island for a marine field methods course that happened to overlap with the NOAA expedition.

The collaboration grew out of a conversation between the NOAA team and the course instructors, who were already familiar with one another's work. The timing aligned perfectly: the students were in Puerto Rico to gain experience with marine field methods while NOAA scientists were conducting their final year of island-wide queen conch surveys. When the opportunity arose for the students to join the research effort, they were eager to participate.

"As an undergraduate student, it's extremely rewarding to work with scientists to conduct actual research!" said Texas A&M University student Samuel Foltz.

Learning the Survey Method

Before entering the water, the students learned about queen conch biology and NOAA's standardized survey methods. The team uses a randomized approach to sample different habitats and depth zones. During each radial survey, divers search a circular area exactly 10 meters in diameter. They count and measure every queen conch they find before returning them to the seafloor.

Juvenile queen conch grow longer as they mature. Once they become adults, they stop growing in length and instead develop a thicker shell lip. By measuring shell length and lip thickness, scientists can estimate the age structure of a population and determine the proportion of juveniles, adults, and reproductively mature conch.

The students quickly learned the methods and completed 12 radial surveys along the southwestern coast of Puerto Rico that contributed to the broader monitoring effort. They also gained experience with the realities of field research, from planning daily survey locations to adapting to changing weather conditions.

Texas A&M student Travis Ly says, "Learning how to conduct a radial survey to monitor queen conch populations has been valuable because I can see this method being applied to other species, not just queen conch."

Working Through Challenging Conditions

The 2-week expedition was not without challenges. The strong winds created rough seas and large waves. Some days brought winds of 20 to 30 miles per hour and waves reaching 6 to 8 feet. Waves stirred up sediment from the seafloor, reducing underwater visibility, while the rough sea conditions made it unsafe to reach some planned survey sites..

The team had a limited window to collect data. The researchers adjusted their daily plans based on sea conditions while working to sample as many habitats and depth zones as possible. Despite the difficult weather, the combined teams completed 105 radial surveys and collected valuable data across Puerto Rico's southern and eastern coasts.

The data the students contributed will help scientists estimate queen conch density across Puerto Rico's different habitats and depth zones.

Learning Beyond the Classroom

For the students, the experience provided more than a chance to collect data. They worked alongside professional scientists and saw how marine research is conducted outside the classroom-where weather, logistics, and changing conditions can all impact a research project.

"Learning multiple ways to collect data will always be beneficial because it expands our understanding of how exactly data can be gathered in different environments and situations," said Texas A&M University student Allyson Casey.

Opportunities like this help students discover the wide range of careers and research opportunities available in marine science.

"I hope what the students take away from it is that there are other things out there aside from the more charismatic megafauna that get all the attention," said Jennifer Doerr , Research Fishery Biologist at NOAA's Southeast Fisheries Science Center, and lead scientist on these queen conch surveys. "There's lots of things out there that deserve our attention, and I hope it opened their eyes to the different options there are."

View the photo gallery from this collaboration