This unfinished island under construction for hundreds of years is still, a work in progress! Rising from the coral and limestone seabed is a man-made island, it’s beginnings date back thousands of years to the indigenous inhabitants of Anegada, and later, British Settlers, all seeking a large sea snail we now know as the conch. For centuries, fisherman would dive the shallow waters for these mollusks and harvest the edible white meat within before tossing their shells in one area. A combination of science and conjecture conclude that this was to prevent the scattering of shells on the seabed as the empty vessels might drive away living ones. Through carbon dating, the origins of this practice go back as far as 1250AD. As time went on, the empty shells grew into an island. It’s not exactly the kind of island you’d spread a blanket on. Nevertheless, it’s called an island and is located off the eastern end of Anegada. Today, fisherman still toss their shells on to this iconic piece of history. It is the ecological hope that the conch will continue to be around long enough for our great, great, great grandchildren to visit it as, conch mountain. A must see on the sailors bucket list of sights, Kelly’s Land and Sea Tours or Sherwin’s Sea Adventures can make it happen for you. Here’s an important footnote, the historically coveted conch is still much in demand and on most menus in the Virgin Islands, often prepared as fritters or chowder.
Author: Bonnie Harrison, November 2023
