Collecting during dives

[Dirty-Dog]

Some things are obvious: you don't pry things off a wreck to take home with you.

Some things are not. Or at least are not to me. And so I ask:

What's the consensus opinion on collecting things like shells during a dive. Obviously, I'm not talking about shells that have anything living in them.

 

[tkdgodess]

Anything man-made without a critter living in it comes up for recycling or proper disposal (if it's not too big, but I figure every bit helps - ocean critters don't make garbage, so why should they live with ours...if I had a lift bag for every toilet tank I've found.....)
Shells etc... I just leave them. I don't mind if you collect empty specimens for personal use, it's the specimen collectors who do it for profit I'm not fond of. Make sure you aren't taking anything from a protected area either.

 

[fire_diver]

What's wrong with taking stuff off the wreck? Ohhhh.... you are taking about sea-life. Wait, whats wrong with that either? If you are going to eat it, and it's in season, grab that sucker. Want a dead shell? take it. It's only going to get broken or collected by someone else.

 

[Mike Boswell]

The best dive spots I've been to have prohibited all taking of anything, so that every new diver can experience the same rich environment as the ones before.

 

[Van Isle]

Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but bubbles.

Garbage should be collected, unless it's become a part of the environment.

Exceptions for in-season fishing/hunting under valid licenses and conditions.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Or saltwater wrecks that are not war graves. I'm am so itching to do a dive with a hammer, chisel, and crowbar!

 

[ptyx]

What's the consensus

The consensus is that there is no consensus.
Even the laws differ depending on the location.

Personally, I take pictures. And trash - occasionally.

Are you asking an internet forum for a consensus? Seriously?

 

[ianr33]

Or saltwater wrecks that are not war graves. I'm am so itching to do a dive with a hammer, chisel, and crowbar!

Such as the Oriskany and the Speigel Grove?

 

[atedeschi]

Why not take something? That bs about taken nothing is crap. It's eventally all going to be crushed and buried. The artificial reef boats ( they are not wrecks) are usually stripped of all the goodies anyway. I was surprised to still find a cage light on the hydro this spring and yes I took it. It was half buried under rubble. Now it's in the process of getting cleaned and added to the collection.

 

[Kingpatzer]

I'm a conservationist on land and in water. Taking anything (but garbage clean up) impacts the environment even more than we already do (and Scuba diving has a pretty large footpring when you start looking at how much we travel to do our thing). While the impact of one person may be minuscule, the cumulative impact over millions of dives can be immense.

And beyond the environmental issues, to me not taking specimens is simple courtesy to the guy on the next dive. If you think that shell is really cool looking, don't you suspect the next person to see it will also?