Dear shell friends,
 
I'm glad that my foray into the subjects of ethics, live-collecting, and
dealers has generated such a lively thread here on Conch-L.  No matter what
the reason for collecting, my basic premise remains that we simply keep the
animal in mind as we pursue its lovely shell, particularly if we do so as
live-collectors.  Seeing how many of us seem to share that feeling, I think
our mollusca are in fairly good hands.
 
I am not convinced that most dealers make sufficient efforts to ensure
their stock is collected using environmentally-friendly methods.  I
sincerely doubt that the great majority of shells exported from the
Phillipines and similar "shell-industry" areas were collected in such a
manner so as not to damage molluscan habitat.
 
Although Paul credibly argues the difficulty for dealers of determining the
origin of their stock, I don't think this exonerates a dealer from the
responsibility to his customers to find out.  For my part, the next time I
inquire to a dealer about one of his shells, I certainly hope he can tell
me whether that shell was: a) initially procured by a self-collector, b)
came from someone's estate, private sale, etc., or c) whether it was
purchased from a wholesale exporter.
 
If he has no clue, then I'll have to say thank you, and inquire with
another dealer who gives greater thought to his sources.  Similarly, if the
dealer says he got the shell from an exporter in an area where the "shell
industry" is prevalent, such as the much-maligned Phillipines, I will have
to refuse to purchase that shell, since it was probably collected by a
local using methods tantamount to strip-mining.
 
Is this fair?  Perhaps not in all cases.  However, it's the only way I can
feel decent about paying excessive amounts of cold hard cash for what is,
in the final analysis, an aesthetic trophy with a varying degree of
scientific validity, depending on the amount of data appended.
 
I can't support any dealer who funnels money into the pockets of people
whose only interest in mollusca is the money their shells generate.  Greed
and living creatures do not mix.  How many lessons in extinction does it
take to teach us this?
 
 
 
Not very diplomatic, to be sure, but always sincere,
 
Jenny