RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SEAGRASS BED CHARACTERISTICS AND JUVENILE QUEENCONCH (STROMBUS-GIGAS LINNE) ABUNDANCE IN THE BAHAMAS

Juveniles of the large, commercially significant gastropod Strombus gi gas Lime (queen couch) are aggregated year after year in specific sect ors of large seagrass meadows on the Great Bahama Bank. The associatio n of conch with particular nursery grounds was investigated at 23 stat ions near Lee Stocking Island, Exuma Gays, Bahamas. The stations were chosen to represent locations both within and outside the nursery site s, and matched as closely as possible in terms of depth, seagrass dens ity, and sediment characteristics. Principal component analysis indica ted that no single habitat variable was a good predictor of juvenile c onch abundance. Seagrass biomass and density, sediment organics, and a lgal abundance were all important elements associated with conch abund ance. All of these variables were generally low at stations with no lo ng-term record of conch habitation. Seagrass is the most conspicuous f eature of seagrass beds, but the variable abundance of other important food items, hydrographic differences, and differences in the supply o f larvae to specific locations result in large-scale faunal distributi on patterns relatively independent from seagrass biomass. Conch nurser y grounds were associated with specific combinations of food productio n and shelter not immediately obvious within large meadows. Most seagr ass beds are probably unsuitable for aggregations of juvenile queen co nch; therefore, stock management programs will need to identify and co ncentrate on the unique nursery habitats.