Lambi of Martinique, a protected species
Whereas we used to be lucky enough to pick up a few stray shells or find empty conch shells washed up by the sea on the beaches we used to stroll along, this pleasure is now a thing of the past. A nauseating stench emanates from the sea, smothered helplessly beneath a sheet of brown seaweed. The smell and the sea repel you, always trying to keep out the undesirable person you seem to have become, and your feet, without understanding, in your hurried flight, struggle with a brown, slimy carpet called sargasso. And yet, these beaches, which now seem so hostile under their kelp blanket, are where many a memory was gathered. Yes, many a time, fishermen engaged with the dawning dawn, have dived and slid, eel-like in the water, each time to bring back at the end of their triumphant arms the trophies they knew how to harvest, big horny shells, fruits of the still very generous sea, which we have dispossessed by abuse. The lambi conch is a shellfish found in the Caribbean Sea, the Lobatus gigas (queen conch or lambi). It's a species of marine mollusc from the tropical West Atlantic. It can grow to 30 cm and 1.5 kg. Unfortunately, victim of its success and excessive consumption, the lambi conch is becoming rarer because its meat is highly sought-after and, sometimes harvested too early, the animal doesn't have time to reproduce. Now classified as an endangered species and partially protected by the Washington Convention, fishing for it is prohibited in Martinique. Its trade is severely restricted and placed under customs control in the French West Indies. Exports involving pieces of lambis nacre, lambis shells or other objects made from conch are strictly controlled and restricted by customs.
The lambi symbol
The lambi conch was used by Amerindians as a wind instrument, to announce the departure and return of fishermen, to communicate at a distance, for its music and flesh, and to surround the graves of the dead. The conches known as pututo in the Chavin culture were also used as calling horns by these pre-Columbian Andean populations between 1000 and 500 BC (Lombards Museum). Conches were always used as decorative elements, as materials for craft products and as a means of artistic expression; these practices are no longer recommended.
Conches on graves. After the Amerindians, and like them, we can't do without them. They are still used to decorate our graves, the places in cemeteries where the dead who have no grave are laid to rest. Conches are said to protect souls, are linked to the concept of fertility, and symbolize the breath of life and original sound.
Lambis are very popular. Here in Martinique, lambi meat is so highly prized that it is now protected. Archaeologists frequently find lambi shells in the vicinity of terracotta shards. Its beautiful mother-of-pearl can be used for decorative purposes, to make jewelry and other objects, and to transform the entire conch shell into lime. With a bit of luck, you can also find the very rare pearl that the lambi can produce, but you'll have to wait and be patient for the beautiful necklace, as only one small grain of pinkish mother-of-pearl can be found in around a thousand lambis.
Conches, a means of communication
In the days of slavery, conch shells were used as a means of communication and rallying. From morne to morne, they warned of major life events. In the countryside, they continued to announce births, chalbari (marriages between widowers) and deaths. Then came the radio, the telephone and the cell phone, but the conch shell as an object of transmission has not completely disappeared, for the fisherman has remained faithful to it. It still announces his return from fishing, and if there's only one role left, it's this one, for loudspeaker, radio and telephone, musical instrument, are here combined in a single object: the conch shell. As indispensable as it is, it will remain so for a long time to come. We're going to beat it like the lambi it is, to thank it kindly for its good and loyal services, simply by tasting it in a good fricassé of... lambi. Rann sèvis bay maldo ("People are ungrateful").
A marine gastropod named lambi
The lambi, watabwi-ora of the Kalina people, in the Strombidae family, is a gastropod(gastropoda, from the ancient Greek meaning " belly-foot "). They are molluscs. It has one foot and one head. Its flattened foot is ventral, and is used for swimming or crawling. Its head has eyes and a radula, a sort of rasping tongue with numerous teeth.
Thestrombusgigas (queen conch or lambi) is a species of marine mollusc found in the tropical West Atlantic, particularly in the West Indies and Florida. It lives in a pink pearly conch, which is none other than the animal's shell.
Reproduction. Individuals of 4 years of age, measuring around 18 cm and 5 mm thick, become breeders. At the end of the breeding season, each female will have contributed to the production of 6,106 lambi larvae.
Development. Larvae are subject to currents that disperse them over tens, even hundreds, of kilometers. Most larvae are eaten or die during this period. The animal grows until it forms the lip characteristic of the adult phase. At this point, the shell stops evolving and becomes thicker, just like the lip.
Predators. Young lambis gather together to resist predators such as lobsters, octopus, crabs, hermit crabs and fish. As adults, they are now threatened by rays, turtles and octopuses. The older ones are protected by their thick shells, and are only worried by man, the greatest exterminator of all. Before fishing was banned, conchs and lambis were often sought-after for decoration, and their flesh was highly prized. They also made excellent wind instruments.
