|
   
Conch Status
To most people, the term “Conch” is used to refer to a very tasty mollusk that lives in a beautiful shell. But to Key Westers, the term “Conch” is used to describe the status of people who live on and visit the island.
 So how did Key Westers come to refer to themselves as Conchs? Legend has it that, in 1646, a group called the Eleutheran Adventurers petitioned the English king for a charter to establish a colony in the Bahamas. They wanted to create a colony in which every man might enjoy religious freedom. Sometime later, when the Crown attempted to levy a tax on them, the islanders replied that they would “eat conchs” rather than pay the tax. By 1892, nearly 8,000 of Key West's population of 25,000 people were Bahamians, which explains why the word Conch is so much a part of this island's heritage. Today, a conch appears on the flag of Key West and on the national coat of arms of the Bahamas.
To be a "Conch" in the Florida Keys means that you are a native of the Keys - a very special and rare status. Because the Keys are so transient, it is uncommon to come across a true native. Those who were born in the Keys are the only ones who can call themselves Conchs. But, those who have lived on or visit the islands regularly may call themselves something more than tourists.
Conch - one who is born on the Island of Key West. Also known as a Key Wester.
Local - one for whom the Keys is a primary residence.
Freshwater Conch - one who was born elsewhere but has resided in Key West for at least 7 years.
Honorary Conch - a non-native resident who has made significant contributions to the local community.
Visitor - one who visits often.
CONCHHEAD - someone who has visited Key West and enjoys the island lifestyle, has a sense of adventure and is free spirited, even when they return home.
<top>
|
|
Conch is the second best known edible snail, the first being escargot from Burgundy, France.
|
|
|
|
A Key West tradition is to place a conch shell outside of your door for good luck. Conch shells are valued as good luck charms.
|
|
|
Because conch harvesting is banned in Key West, most of the conch shells tourists buy are imported from Haiti.
|
|
|
The Queen Conch is depicted on Key West's flag.
|
|
|
The Key West High School mascot is the Fighting Conch and the cheerleaders are known as the Conchettes.
|
|
|
Tourists ride around town on the Conch Train.
|
|
|
Babies born in the Keys get a Conch Republic birth certificate that says they are official Conchs.
|
|
|
Only people who were born in the Keys may call themselves Conchs.
|
|
|
The original Conchs came from the Bahamas to the Florida Keys.
|
|
|
People born elsewhere who move to the Keys earn the right to be called ''Freshwater Conchs'' after seven years.
|
|
|
The tough meat served in chowder, conch fritters, conch ceviche or cracked conch is the conch's foot.
|
|
|
Most of the conch we eat is raised on conch farms. As part of their efforts to protect juvenile conchs from being killed by predators, scientists teach conchs how to bury themselves in the sand as a defense mechanism.
|
<top>
Today, Strombus gigas, or the queen conch, is on the United States' endangered species list. Forty years ago, a quarter-million conchs were harvested in the Keys. But, commercial harvesting was banned in the seventies and all recreational taking of the conch was outlawed by 1985 as a result of the conch population decline. It is illegal to remove live conch from U.S. waters.
Efforts are under way to repopulate the waters surrounding the Florida Keys with conch. And, because the conch population is threatened throughout the Caribbean, the importation of queen conch is banned from Honduras, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Therefore, much of the conch meat that the world enjoys is farm raised or comes from various Caribbean islands, including the Bahamas.
Click here to learn more
|
