The 2026 Season Lecture Series presented by the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium continues with A Decade of Conch-Servation Research to Protect Queen Conch, led by Dr. Andrew Kough, Research Biologist at the John G. Shedd Aquarium (Chicago).
The presentation will be held on Thursday, February 12 at 5:30pm at the Museum, located at 3075 Sanibel Captiva Road, Sanibel.
The Queen Conch is an herbivorous marine snail with an iconic pink shell that was once ubiquitous throughout the Caribbean, but populations have been decimated by overharvest. Given the important role of conch in the ecosystems, cultures, and economies where they are found, the Queen Conch was recently listed on the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
Since 2015, Dr. Kough’s team at Shedd Aquarium has used diverse methods to explore the conservation ecology of Queen Conch. In this talk, he will share how thousands of surveys on snorkel and SCUBA, computational modeling, monitoring of predation, and tracking of animal behavior have combined to build knowledge, prompt policy changes, and lead to a rosier future for a cherished species.
Cost to attend the lecture is $10 per person and is free for Museum Members. Registration is required and includes choice of wine, beer, non-alcoholic beverage, and light snacks. Register at ShellMuseum.org/learn-and-experience/lectures, where you can also view a free archive of previously recorded online lectures.
The 2026 Season Lecture Series is supported by the Sam and Francis Bailey Clean Water Education Center, Joan and Don Sherman, and Leslie Fleischner.
About the Museum: The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium is a natural history museum and aquarium, and the only museum in the United States devoted primarily to shells and mollusks. Its mission is to educate and inspire an understanding of mollusks, their shells, and their habitats using exceptional experiences, collections, and science. Permanent exhibitions on view include the Great Hall of Shells which displays highlights of the Museum’s collection of more than 600,000 shells, as well as the Living Gallery of Aquariums and over 60 species of marine life. For more information, please visit ShellMuseum.org or call (239) 395-2233.
