Texas Woman Charged With Stealing Queen Conch
KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) — A Texas woman has been charged with stealing dozens of Queen Conch with the help of several children.
Wildlife officials said an officer spotted Diana Candelario Fiscal-Gonzalez in a driveway in the Florida Keys on Thursday with three plastic containers, a hose and 40 Queen Conch. Officials said the conch were harvested by Fiscal-Gonzalez and several minor children.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials took the conch and returned them to the water. Most were still alive.
The woman was cited for possession of prohibited Queen Conch and booked into jail.
The queen conch is a mollusk that can live up to 20 or 30 years old. They're prized for their edible meat and attractive shell.
There's been increasing concern about the conch fishery as populations have been depleted.
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