Conch-servation
In November 2019, my studies took me to Turneffe Atoll, Belize, on the Mesoamerican barrier reef, to research the sustainability of the Belizean Queen Conch (Aliger gigas) fishery, the efficacy of existing regulations, and the adaptive capacity of the Atoll’s fishing community.
Research was conducted through a series of semi-structured interviews and key informants in the region, as well as through the analysis of “knocked,” or discarded shells, left by fishers after harvest.
The project developed into my undergraduate Honors thesis completed for the Boston University Kilachand Honors College (2021).
The thesis symposium presentation can be watched in full (right).
This research was published in Gulf and Caribbean Research in September, 2024.
Read the full piece: https://doi.org/10.18785/gcr.3501.15
Undergraduate thesis: “The Adaptive Capacity of the Turneffe Atoll, Belize, Queen Conch Fishery”
Elsa M. Brenner (2021)
Brenner, E. M. K., V. Sollitto, V. Baribeau, R. Branconi and P. Simonin. 2024. “A Preliminary Investigation of Adherence to Shell Length Regulations and Adaptive Capacity of the Turneffe Atoll Queen Conch (Aliger gigas) Fishery, Belize.” Gulf and Caribbean Research 35 (1): SC20-SC24.
Student life in the Boston University Marine Program
What was it like to be a student in the Boston University Marine Program (BUMP)
Watch this feature on the program’s adaptation to COVID to learn about my personal experience as a student.
Learn more about the program here.