Karko (Conch) Project
Lac is the largest bay in the Dutch Caribbean and is not only a critical habitat for Bonaire and the region, but also a RAMSAR site, recognized globally as wetlands of special significance. Lac is a nursery for reef fish and a feeding area for green sea turtle. Also it is an important resting and nesting place for numerous birds and marine invertebrates, including the Queen Conch or Karko.
Queen Conch “Karko”
Earlier in Lac’s history this shellfish was found in large quantities, but due to overfishing the population has diminished drastically. Therefore STINAPA started an outreach campaign focusing on the Queen Conch which engages every sector of the local community from schools and daycare centers to churches and the business sector. The slogan of the project was as follows: “Ban trese karko bek, Laga nan na pas pa mañan nos tin mas!” roughly translates to “Bring our conch back; Leave them alone so we can have more tomorrow!”
Since the end of the project, monitoring of the Karko in Lac has continued by STINAPA staff.
Please download the project report here.
Conch Serenade
Measuring Conch
Conch Mound at Lac Cai
Finding live Conch to tag
Tagging Conch
Conch Airport Banner
