Stoner et a I.: Recruitment of Strombus gigas 
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Figure 1 
(A) Study area in the southern Exuma Cays, central Bahamas. (B) On the flood tide, water from Exuma Sound 
passes between Adderly Cay and Lee Stocking Island, flowing in an S-shaped pattern past Shark Rock to- 
wards Cook’s Cay (dotted arrow). Stations A and F represented ends of the flow field. (C) Nine more stations 
were selected with respect to the long-term (1988-92) location of the juvenile queen conch aggregation, delin- 
eated by dashed line. In July 1992, just before dredge sampling was conducted, the aggregation occupied the 
areas shown in hatched polygons. Star indicates center of aggregation. 
consequently, no station was directly comparable to D4. 
Other environmental characteristics, such as depth and 
certain sediment characteristics, also varied across the 
flow field (see “Results” section, Tables 1 and 2). 
Methods 
Dredge sampling 
Given that maximum densities of conch veligers are 
observed during midsummer (June through August) 
and that the larval period lasts 3-4 weeks (Davis et 
al., 1993), dredge sampling for newly settled conch 
was conducted at the end of the summer, 24 August 
to 1 September 1992. Scuba equipment was used for 
all underwater work. At each of the 11 stations, wa- 
ter depth was measured and corrected to mean low 
water (MLW), and duplicate sediment samples were 
collected with a PVC core (diameter=40 mm, depth=5 
cm) prior to dredging. 
Sediment samples were rinsed with freshwater and 
dried at 80°C to constant weight. A subsample ( ~ 15- 
20 g) was incinerated at 550°C in a muffle furnace 
