Conch World

View of the Subsea Pasture where the conch grow from about 6 cm to adult conch

View of the Subsea Pasture where the conch grow from about 6 cm to adult conch

Today we headed out to see the Conch Farm…….the only one of its kind in the world. I’d heard that they had suffered quite some damage from Hurricanes Hanna and Ike. I have been through the farm several times over the years and today was an  opportunity to go again. The old dock was gone and lots of damage sustained by Ike’s 140 mph winds as well as an 8 foot storm surge during Hanna.

Here's our friendly and informative guide Danver who told us everything you ever wanted to know about conch and more!

Here's our friendly and informative guide Danver who told us everything you ever wanted to know about conch and more!

Provo Conch World has been in existence since 1984 with 12 million dollars invested to develop conch farming to the commercial scale it operates at today. Currently they have about 500,000 conch!

On shore nursery ponds containing small conch from 2 to 6 cm

On shore nursery ponds containing small conch from 2 to 6 cm

Baby conchs grow in these nursery ponds for about a year until ready to be put out in the sub-sea pasture

Baby conchs grow in these nursery ponds for about a year until ready to be put out in the sub-sea pasture

I have lots more photos and will continue tomorrow
Marta
http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Conch Shell

These two young local boys in Blue Hills were showing off a beautiful conch shell that they wanted to sell.

These two young local boys in Blue Hills were showing off a beautiful conch shell that they wanted to sell.

Blue Hills is another of my favourite areas where there’s always something great to photograph. These guys were on the beach by Da Conch Shack selling conch shells that they had cleaned.

Marta

 

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Conch wall

We just had to stop and take photos of this unique conch inlaid island stone wall.

We just had to stop and take photos of this unique conch inlaid island stone wall.

Heading home from the beach along the Lower Bight Road just past King’s Town, we saw this spectacular wall. It was local island stonework topped off with conch shells.
A row of conch adorns the top of the wall surrounding these houses in The Bight

A row of conch adorns the top of the wall surrounding these houses in The Bight

Have a look when your next in the Bight area. This wall is really great!
Marta

Long Bay beach

Long Bay.......great for those long walks, beach combing, horse back riding and the best beach for kite boarding.

Long Bay.......great for those long walks, beach combing, horse back riding and the best beach for kite boarding.

How the weather changes here on Provo……………flat calm without a breath of wind early this morning then the wind picked up and really started to blow by the afternoon. A perfect day for walking the beach at Long Bay and I would imagine with the wind being up, that the kiteboarders would have been out taking advantage of the winds. We’ve had guests at Harbour Club that have come here specifically to kiteboard. I’ve watched them on numerous occasions out at the Bight beach which is a favourite as well as at Sapodilla Bay.

But back to Long Bay. It is what I call a wild beach, wind swept and strewn with conch shells as there are many conch out in the waters off the beach. There’s even a Haitien sloop (boat) up on the shore. Albert shows us how to find conch at Long Bay and then to crack the conch.

Finding conch in the waters at Long Bay.

Finding conch in the waters at Long Bay.

There’s lots of conch in the water out at Long Bay. We were shown all the ins and outs of crackin’ conch and how to serve up ” a fresh from the ocean” feast!

 

We didn't forget the limes....conch, fresh from the sea.

We didn't forget the limes....conch, fresh from the sea.

Albert used to do lots of fishing and knows exactly where to find conch. He showed us how to prepare the conch meat and served it to us out on the Long Bay beach.
Yum.....that conch with a squirt of lime is as fresh as it gets!
Yum…..that conch with a squirt of lime is as fresh as it gets!

Join us for a taste of Conch on your visit to the Turks and Caicos Islands. Hope to see you soon.

Marta

Conch

The beautiful pink shell of a Queen conch is often crafted into decorative pieces

The beautiful pink shell of a Queen conch is often crafted into decorative pieces

The Queen conch live on sandy bottoms and feed on numerous species of algae and seagrasses.
Did you know that Providenciales , the Turks and Caicos Islands has the only viable commercial conch farm in the world?
The queen conch or Strombus gigas, has been a staple of these islands for at least a thousand years and it’s meat provides a major source of protein. Conch is found throughout the waters of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
A young Turks Island miss holds a baby conch
A young Turks Island miss holds a baby conch
The pretty pink conch shell is used for decorative items such as bowls, jewellery, lamps and  vases. Our guests often find shells to take home with them as well as for gift giving. You too can find your own conch shell to take home when you vacation here on our beautiful islands.
Marta

Rum Bar Bartender at Da Conch Shack

Too much rum??

Too much rum??

Hi everyone,

Today I took some Harbour Club guests to Da Conch Shack on the beach at Blue Hills.  This was their first try at tasting conch which is the local favourite food here on Provo.  We had great conch fritters and the curried conch was exceptional! The guests were entertained by the bartender as they sipped on a traditional rum punch. All in all it was a great day.

Marta

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com