Excellent point made by Mark here!! I too would welcome a number limit on all
species throughout the state. Here on Tampa Bay, some of the easily accessible
and formerly  excellent collecting spots have been raided regularly by ethnic
groups in our area that use any and all molluscs for food. They hit the flats
in mass with bucket in hand and grab everything in sight. A group of 6 or 8
will have the area stripped of any exposed molluscs in no time. I often see
this being done on the Manatee side of the Sunshine Skyway where there is a
two per species limit. Marine patrol tells me there is no way they can control
that. Hmmm. What is wrong with this picture? Maybe if it were a 'state wide'
limit it could be better enforced.
 
I have, on rare occasion, been able to buy these buckets full of live shells
for $10.00 and then carry them into deeper water and turn them loose. This
rarely ever happens however.
 
Something that I do when I am shelling...I never pass up a dead shell. I take
them home and clean them up nice and put them in the trunk of my car. Then,
when I am shelling an easily accessible area that might have tourists picking
up live shells, I explain to them the difficulty of cleaning live shells and
offer to trade one of my nicely cleaned beauties for their live one. Most
times the trade is made, the tourist beaming ear to ear with their new cleaned
shell, while I  carry the live one to deeper water and release it. Now there
is a "win win situation".