A Key West woman is facing charges after state wildlife officers found her in possession of queen conch.
On Aug. 22, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) charged Madison West, 25, with six counts of violating Florida Administrative Code 68B-16.004, which prohibits the harvest, possession or transport of queen conch.
Under Florida law, is illegal to harvest, kill, molest, harm, mutilate, possess, transport or land queen conch, regardless of where they are taken. The presence of queen conch aboard a vessel in Florida waters, while individuals are overboard, is considered evidence that the conch were illegally harvested.
On July 8, FWC Investigator Chris Mattson began investigating an email he received through FWC’s Wildlife Alert. The complaint alleged that photos of live queen conch aboard a vessel off Key West had been posted to social media.
Following interviews with the vessel’s owner, operator and West, Mattson determined that West harvested live queen conch and placed them onboard the boat.
The FWC takes marine life and wildlife violations very seriously and encourages the public to report them by calling the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (888-404-3922) or submitting a tip online at MyFWC_WildlifeAlert.For additional FWC Division of Law Enforcement news, visit MyFWC.com/LENews.
