The annual conch blowing competition was held in Florida and 30 participants displayed their skills with the sea shell. It is a tradition that dates back to over 50 years. A press release from the organizers said that participants were judged on criteria such as loudness, duration and how novel a sound they could produce. The event organizers say that the tradition of conch blowing goes back to the 1800s in Florida, when sailors who made their living salvaging shipwrecks used the shells to call out for attention. The giant seashell is so ingrained in the local culture that Key West is known unofficially as the “Conch Republic”.
