[2] It was once a busy and treacherous shipping passage used by seafaring Europeans in the 16th and 17th centuries; archaeologists estimate there are over 300 shipwrecks on the bank.

Today it is known for its economic and cultural importance; it is the main harvesting ground for Queen Conch in the Caribbean and is highly valued by Jamaica's fishing community who have been operating on the bank and using its small cays as a base since the 1920s.

It slopes gently from the Pedro Cays to the west and north with depths from 13 to 30 metres (43–98 feet).

The area, including the surrounding waters, has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports significant resident and breeding populations of seabirds, including magnificent frigatebirds, brown and masked boobies, laughing gulls, brown noddies, sooty, bridled and royal terns.

More importantly, they represent the primary harvesting area for the largest export of Queen Conch from the Caribbean region.