James weighing a queen conch
collected during a dive. Taking
measurements like these can be
tricky on a moving boat. | Tools of the Trade This gallery of pictures shows
one of the field research groups
collecting specimens of and
taking measurements of the
Queen Conch (Strombus
gigas). Some of the tools used
in this study include calipers to
measure the conch length, a
quadrat to characterize the
ocean bottom, and a scale to
weigh the specimens.
| 
Erica and Sylvia collecting and
recording length and weight
information of a queen conch. |
Bruno Bautil (right) overseeing
research conducted by Colin
and Tim (left and center,
respectively). | 
The quadrat is a 1-meter by
1-meter square made out of
plastic pipe. The square meter
is further divided up by string
into 10 centimeter squares.
These smaller squares allow the
observer to record the ocean
bottom composition in greater
detail.
| 
Tim using calipers to measure
the length of a queen conch. |
