Jim Miller wrote:
>
> Is anyone on Conch-L currently
> finding any cowries in the Keys or are they close to vanishing? If
> anyone has had experience collecting down there, I would appreciate
> them contacting me privately to compare notes. Needless to say, I was
> heartbroken over what I experienced that day.

The Florida east coast is under immense pressure from runoff, treated
waste water, and the death of the 'glades which fed Florida Bay, which
in turn fed the entire east coast. It's mostly gone, so enjoy the
memories and what little is left while it is still there.

There are still a fair number of cowries on the Boynton ledge, and I
only take fresh dead, never live. Each year, the algae gets thicker and
the balance tips more to algae-resistant species.

So it goes.