Kate,
I kept telling myself to stay out of all of this but this evening's ice
tea must have gotten me fired up because here it goes. I think you let
loose with a shotgun instead of really picking your targets. In any case
I felt I was in the line of fire and just had to answer back (in a
friendly, chatting about shells in the lobby at a convention sort of
way).
I too really enjoy the shells I have collected myself. But the fact of
the matter is that I live thousands of miles from an ocean and so I buy
and trade shells in order to have a collection. Now just what kind of
"conscience about what [I am] doing," am I supposed to have. Do you mean
I shouldn't buy up a bunch of any species? No problem, I couldn't afford
it anyway. Do you mean I shouldn't buy species on the CITES list? Again
no problem as you just don't see them offered very often if at all. I
have wanted a green tree snail for years -- not for sale. Or did you
mean I should limit in general what I buy? Again, no problem. Ask the
many shell dealers I have dealt with who have handled my pitifully small
sized shell orders as if they were worth thousands of dollars instead of
just a few bucks above the minimum. No one is making a living off of my
shell business but thank goodness they are hanging in there or I would
not have a Murex palmerosa to marvel at or an Epitonium scalare to grace
my shelf, or any of hundreds of beautiful shells that have become part of
my life. All but a handful purchased from shell dealers over the last 20
years or traded for in the last year.
As for worrying about the original acquisition of shells, I think this
audience may be about the only folks who actually do worry about that.
Certainly, few of my non shelling friends have heard or care about the
dynamiting of the reefs in places such as the Philippines or the
wholesale slaughter of shells when a beach is "replenished." The story
of the collector who stomped on his new Conus gloriamaris to ensure he
had the only one in existence is just that -- a story. I certainly would
not want to have the last of a species collected for my enjoyment. I
truly believe the collecting pressures on molluscs brought on by my
chosen hobby (while it may be greater than we would like to admit to
ourselves) is no where near the pressures of pollution, urbanization,
over development, and more and more aggressive fishing. That new batch
of Cypraea fultoni were brought up by fishers, not collectors. Although
I admit that can be a fuzzy line of distinction at times and I could use
my own statement here to argue your case. Everyone confused yet?
Shells as an investment? I sincerely doubt it. Ask someone who paid
good money for a Strombus listeri, Cypraea teuleri, Epitonium scalare,
Conus gloriamaris, or any of many others I can name. Each of which has
fallen in price. Yes, I am aware of the prices -- mea culpa, but so
what. Now try as I might, the list that goes the other way is much
tougher to bring to mind. The previously mentioned Papuina pulcherrima
(Green Tree Snail) of course pops to mind. Oops, its not really for sale
so it doesn't count. Certainly shells get rare occasionally and the
price goes up but I don't see many collectors benefiting from such an
occurrence and out of many, many shell dealers I know -- I don't know one
who got wealthy from dealing in shells. Collecting is a particularly
strange disease and profit is rarely the motive.
This hobby is not without sin. We have some great stories of people
doing wrong but I have a bit of trouble with the shell collector and the
hunter of an endangered tiger thrown into the same category. However,
this is not stamp collecting. I recently advised a friend who had found
some rather nice shells on how to kill, clean, and treat a live collected
shell. Well she was aghast that I would suggest such a thing and said
she would never collect a live shell! I understand and respect that.
She wants to only collect "dead" shells. Well rather than blaming me or
my shell dealer friends or their suppliers for their dastardly deeds,
let's put a bit more positive spin on this and push the many "shellers
creed's" out there. Many clubs, the COA, and many individuals have
shelling beliefs that run something like;
1. Collect only what you need, don't strip an area of shells.
2. Collect select adults, leave juveniles alone so they can mature and
reproduce.
3. Never disturb eggs or adults guarding eggs.
4. Leave live coral alone - shells aren't really to be found there
anyway.
5. Put rocks, coral slabs, etc. back after you turn them so they will
continue to serve as shelter.
6. Know and obey the law of the area you are collecting in.
---- and my personal favorite,
7. Don't cry when the shell you bought for $50 is suddenly offered for
$10.
Okay, okay, so number 7 it is not a part of anyone's creed. I was just
getting a bit tired of my own tirade. So, Kate, your spear got me in the
chest and I had to respond. We are not guiltless but neither are we the
real bad guys in the scheme of things. By we, I mean us folks who buy
shells or sell shells. The natural world is going to have a tougher and
tougher time supporting and existing with our growing global population.
At one time, any of us in this country (USA) could walk out and shoot a
deer whenever we wanted, or collect wild bird feathers or eggs. Now all
of that is strictly controlled or flat illegal (didn't know about feather
and egg collecting being illegal? Well now you do.). Well, I suppose at
some time in the future that will also happen to shell collecting as we
have already seen a bit in the laws in states like California or
restricted areas like Sanibel or the Florida Keys. Even in the
Philippines they have tried to tighten up and prevent the wholesale
slaughter of the reefs. So, I agree we sometimes are at fault but I
disagree that we are quite as guilty as painted (and hey, I should get
some credit for coming pretty close with the sheller's creed just from
memory).
Tom Eichhorst in New Mexico, USA (trying to figure out how to explain to
my wife why I HAD to bid on the Raines auction)
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