"Researchers are acting as matchmakers for the queen conch, a mollusc with iconic status in the Florida Keys, by removing them from the heat of their nearshore habitat and relocating them to deeper, cooler waters... In the summer it gets too hot. The animals shut down. Instead of reproduction, they shunt their energy into survival," said Gabriel Delgado, a research scientist with the FWC.
"The change in environment, the researchers believe, encourages conches, which are largely lethargic and infertile in excessively hot shallow water, to mingle freely and mate in more suitable surroundings with a fresh cluster of likely companions... Nearshore conch are destined for a life of celibacy, and we're trying to fix that," Delgado explained about the initiative.
"It's like, Hey folks, you guys are having trouble meeting another conch. Well, here's some more to the party, now you can open up to each other a little bit more,' said Delgado, describing the program's matchmaking intentions.
"The project is intended to be a vital step towards preserving and restoring a species listed by the US government in February as threatened under the Endangered Species Act," noted Delgado regarding the importance of the initiative.
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