Should You Pick Up That Seashell?

[vincent54]

When it's conch season, I collect and eat as many as allowed. I'll keep the shells, they are beautiful.

Collecting shells by hobbyists is the least of the mollusks concern. They pick and choice specific animals . Doubt if that has any impact on the populations. Commercial collecting Is another matter

 

[TMHeimer]

Why should anyone tar and feather you? You seem likable and sincere.

Thanks. Some of the recent posts here may suggest a more realistic approach to shell collecting. I think there are two views--One is about conservation, the other about killing any living organism. I have no problem with the latter. This is about one's own morality, religion, whatever (of course to carry this to an extreme, you can't swat mosquitos, use rat poison or that trap we used last Fall to nail that weasel in the house). Philosophy on this can go on and on. I've made my points about conservation years ago. My problem with this is divers who have no knowledge of shell populations doing the PADI "no touch anything EVER" thing. Vincent eats as many conchs as he can then saves the shells--when it's Conch season. There is no Conch season in Florida since they have all been eaten--even an empty 10 year old Queen Conch shell is not legally taken there--so I guess he is from elsewhere.
I learned many years ago to be very discreet on charter boats when returning from the dive with shells. Comments can be rude. I experienced this on SB many years ago as well. I think about 50% of dive charters on the N. Gulf of Mex. do in fact allow collecting, but over 10 years of internet searching I have found maybe 6 in the Caribbean that do. Prettier shells, many more divers all going to the same reefs--very understandable. Thanks for re-opening my favourite topic--it seems the tide may be turning to a bit more realistic anyway.

 

[vincent54]

Thanks. Some of the recent posts here may suggest a more realistic approach to shell collecting. I think there are two views--One is about conservation, the other about killing any living organism. I have no problem with the latter. This is about one's own morality, religion, whatever (of course to carry this to an extreme, you can't swat mosquitos, use rat poison or that trap we used last Fall to nail that weasel in the house). Philosophy on this can go on and on. I've made my points about conservation years ago. My problem with this is divers who have no knowledge of shell populations doing the PADI "no touch anything EVER" thing. Vincent eats as many conchs as he can then saves the shells--when it's Conch season. There is no Conch season in Florida since they have all been eaten--even an empty 10 year old Queen Conch shell is not legally taken there--so I guess he is from elsewhere.


Brac. Season is from Nov 1 to end of March. Outside the Marine park and replenishment areas.
5 per person per day. Free dive only. Very few in water less than 30 feet of water, so not many are taken. I'll grab some for a couple of the old Spot Bay residents who can't get them themselves. They'll give me some of the fritters or marinade as a thanks.

Brac has a healthy conch and fish population and have managed their fisheries for centuries. It was the Jamaicans commercial fishing boat, not a Brakker, that nearly wiped out the Nassau Grouper population.

 

[TMHeimer]

Yeah, not at all being critical. I've heard Conch Fritters are very tasty. 100 years ago Channelled Whelks were eaten in New England. This fell out of favour. No one will stop you for collecting these Whelks. At least not where most of them are (up North US).

 

[uncfnp]

. --even an empty 10 year old Queen Conch shell is not legally taken there--

Actually you can collect a queen conch shell in Florida as long as there is no living conch at the time.

Prohibited Species: All harvest of the Bahama Starfish (Oreaster reticulatis) is prohibited. Possession of live Queen Conch (Strombus gigas) at any time is prohibited. It is not unlawful to possess queen conch shells in Florida as long as the shells do not contain any living queen conch at the time of collection, and so long as a living queen conch is not killed, mutilated, or removed from its shell prior to collection. Possession of conch meat or a queen conch shell having an off-center hole larger than 1/16 inch in diameter through its spire is prohibited.

 

[vincent54]

Believe it or not, I was told the most endangered shell on Brac is the Chiton. Apparently it is popular with certain residents as a food source. According to a Brac artist, only Caymanians with permits can collect them now. Don't know the accuracy of his statement, but he talks for hours so I believe him.

 

[letterboy]

We take one small she'll from the beach Everytime we go.

My daughter has a healthy respect for nature and she likes shells.

I try to find the smallest she'll I can, she goes for the biggest shell.

 

[TMHeimer]

uncfnp, Did they change that law about taking empty Queen Conch shells in FL? Maybe it was just word of mouth a few years ago I heard even empty ones were taboo.

vincent54, Chitons!!?? Who would eat THAT.? So ugly I probably wouldn't even collect one if I saw it.

LetterBoy, Taking a small shell is fine in my book. But small shell-big shell: the difference? There have been some on SB years ago (and elsewhere on the internet) who proclaim that taking broken dead shells from any beach disturbs the environment (due to whatever the shells decompose into, etc.). So, you have broken that rule. Right on!

 

[lowviz]

...//... I've heard Conch Fritters are very tasty. ...//...

I made that recipe once. They have a decidedly "odd" flavor. Really odd.

You can find good vids on YT showing how to clean them. To me, they don't taste either good or bad, just odd. There are a ton of them up here and not all that many people eat them. I think that says a lot.

Whelks and I get along just fine now...

 

[uncfnp]

uncfnp, Did they change that law about taking empty Queen Conch shells in FL? Maybe it was just word of mouth a few years ago I heard even empty ones were taboo

Don't know about before but its been the rule since I first looked into it a few years ago. I had heard the same, that queen conch even empty were a no no so I made certain of the rule before I collected my first shell. From time to time I still hear "you can't keep that!" on the boat.