Almost all shells that are worth "collection" status are taken live. Not all, but most. You will not usually find an empty Triton shell on the beach or snorkelling, even diving. Once the animal dies it's like a house unattended--it will deteriorate. When I did my AOW in FL the shop owner saw the 5 shells I brought up and said I was wrong to keep them. Yet, she had a collection in the LDS from her trip to the islands--great specimens taken live, obviously. Her response was that a fisherman gave her these, and they were already dead. Still can't figure that one out. It was OK for her to have a collection. The criticisms of my use of the term "scientific" are well taken. My hobby has no scientific purpose--the collection is for my enjoyment. Some on other threads have accused me of being a "trophy taker". I have no desire to show off my collection to freinds/guests in the house. My wife has to suggest to them that I show them my collection. I get used to using the term "scientific" because it CAN entice charter ops to view my hobby in a slightly better light. So I scour the Internet for 2 years to actually find a place down there where it is legal to collect and the dive op permits it, and I get remanded for wanting to even take one Tritons Trumpet because they kill Crown of Thorns which in turn kill reefs. I was amazed some diver even KNEW this--guess it just pushed me over the edge. I guess my rant is a result of the fact that I only started diving in '05 at age 51. My career location in Northern Manitoba prevented me from diving locally for like 30 years--there aren't many good freshwater shells in lakes, though there are some. It's so frustrating that we have allowed the decimation of so much aquatic (and other, of course) life over the last few decades. So much so that I am in this position trying to collect a few shells and getting blasted for it. In 1980 someone may say "Oh, that's really a pretty shell. How will you get the thing out of it?" As opposed to now: "You're not gunna kill it, are you"? Hey, I'm just too late with my diving--the World changes.