Collecting during dives

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Your photo's make me ill. I count the days until I am able to leave this swamp.
 
Your photo's make me ill. I count the days until I am able to leave this swamp.

Sorry :( No more then. How many days do you have to go then?
 
Nah it doesn't. Everyone leaves the beer vessels. Here are some pictures, I thought you might like to see the results of your handiwork:

Took pics out to conserve space

Also someone in Williamstown has been providing condoms to urchins, which I think is a good idea as their populations are out of control!

Those pics are really sad!! On the other hand, your last sentence is hilarious!! :rofl3::rofl3:

Personally, I would never pry anything off a wreck or take some critters home. I will bring up trash and dispose of it properly. If I were to find some treasure (as if) I would definitely take it, who wouldn't? (This kind of reminds me of the, there are two types of divers, those who pee in their wetsuits, and those afraid to admit it saying, just with those who take and those who won't admit to it-in terms of finding some treasure or cool dive gadget). I have collected a bunch of shells from the beaches when I was younger, I used to make jewelry but I don't have much to do with the shells anymore, so I leave them. However, if I find a sharks tooth (which I have never done before) I would take it. I would also take lion fish, as they are an invasive species here. Just my opinion.
 
Octopuses like the bottles though! :)
 
It's forbidden to take anything out of the sea here but everybody does it anyway...

If someone takes a couple of shells for the kids I don't care, otherwise leave it alone for others to see...
 
Follow the local laws. If it's illegal to take things, don't. If it's legal, take what you want. I collect shells. Some places it's legal to collect live ones, others it's illegal. In Florida, the laws on collecting live shells vary by county. Be careful. I collect lots of fossils. In Florida you need a permit to collect fossils (there are some exceptions, most obvious is shark teeth do not require a permit). I pick up all the lead I find.
 
Taking something is often a very selfish act... I want it, no one else needs to see it.

I'm one of the take pictures (and trash) crowd. Even the shells with nothing living in them often have encrusting life forms on the outside. I don't know how many times I've had to throw such items back in the water because the diver did not recognize there were living things on them (or in bottles or cans).

Even though I stopped hunting in 1975, I do not apply this to fish or invertebrates that are legally taken for food. I have no problem with that if the law is followed, although with some species that are rare and still unprotected I feel no take should be followed.

octopus%20Avalon%20Harbor%20Cleanup%20collage%20sm.jpg


Octopus emerging from bottle taken during Avalon Harbor Clean-Up
 
This thought is what has prevented me from picking up some really cool shells. Other than to look at them and then put them back down. But as mentioned by another poster, I remain uncertain that taking a shell has anywhere near the impact that taking fish does. Especially since I am talking about an individual taking a couple shells for their own collection, not the hundreds or thousands that are scooped up by the commercial shops. Same difference between a guy surf casting his reel and the commercial fishing boats.

But this overlooks the fact that there may be millions of individual surf anglers that collectively can have impacts greater than the commercial fishers (as is the case with a number of fish species here in California such as lingcod, kelp bass and surfperch).
 
I think it's just a personal choice. My own Karma is that I don't take any shells that have living things in them. I don't look for shells any more but if i came across an intersting one that had no life in it then i would probably take it home. Shark teeth is another thing. I find them I keep them (if the shark isn't attached). If I can take the trash back up i will.

i do though at times while snorkeling or walking the beach find broken shells and glass. These i take as i work with kids and we make some pretty interesting things with them.

I don't kill or hunt what i don't eat. That's just my personal choice and my "mantra". To each his own. But I also bring my own bags to shop with too now. I found that it elimanated a lot of trash at my own home.
 
Veterans. One died fighting for a cause, the other to make money.

Another way of looking at it is that both likely they died trying to scratch by, support their family, raise their kids, and being contributing members of their community. Some did it by choice and some not.

My family and community has always been the largest cause in my life, and perhaps that was never more true than when I wore a uniform.

Fighting for one's cause doesn't always mean trying to kill other people in the process.
 

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