A lawsuit was filed Wednesday over the need for the federal government to designate critical habitat for the threatened queen conch off the coast of Florida, along with the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
The Center for Biological Diversity contends in its lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia the National Marine Fisheries Service has yet to finalize required habitat protections for the creature designated as threatened by the federal government in 2024.
The center claims the sea snail known for its large, spiral-shaped shell with a striking pink interior is vulnerable to “overharvesting, pollution, habitat degradation, and climate change.”
READ MORE: Could its hop help revive Florida's iconic queen conch?
“Without this crucial protection, we’ll have to watch pollution, dredging and climate change continue to threaten these charming marine snails,” Center attorney Alex Muir said in a released statement.
“What’s so frustrating is that this is preventable. If federal officials move quickly to shield their habitat, it’d give these conchs a fighting chance as they struggle to survive devastating overharvesting.”
In May, the center was joined by the Miami Waterkeeper, the Florida Wildlife Federation and the Diving Equipment and Marketing Association in issuing a 60-day notice they intend to sue over the effects of an ongoing Port Everglades dredging project on threatened staghorn coral and queen conch.
The groups claim the project design included a commitment to prohibit overflow --- a construction practice that minimizes sediment effects to the surrounding reef. But, they contend, the work was “subsequently modified and overflow is clearly occurring.”
