Martha Davis established Community Conch in 2009, an organization that conducts surveys, raises awareness and works toward reversing the decline of the Caribbean queen conch population. Despite NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Services’ study which indicated that the queen conch population was stable and therefore did not require protection under the US Endangered Species Act, Martha and her organization demonstrated that there was a problem of inadequate densities of queen conch reproduction in the Bahamas, grave issue of illegal poaching of the conches, and sparse populations near human settlements. This continued work has allowed them to garner support from The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, and the Smithsonian field station along the Florida Coast. Photo credit: FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
