Many have responded to my initial post on this subject.  Everyone's input is
appreciated.  However, it appears many may not have actually read my initial
post, but are responding to later posts.  Therefore, I'd like to present an
abbreviated version of my initial remarks.

Sat 12/22/2007:

Fabio Moretzsohn lamented the decline of shell clubs. Then, Peter Egerton
wondered where all the US dealers have gone. And, today John Varner
philosophizes about "When" in shell collecting "the desire to acquire
becomes obsessive, and our pursuit leads to a deterioration in human
relations or the environment, it is certainly time to step back and think
about what we are doing." He concludes that it can be justified if when we
collect we "redouble efforts to share my collection with as many people as I
can, to endorse conservation, to support groups & politicians who work for
the environment, to maximize the good, minimize the bad."

I personally am happy to see the decline in interest by the "general
collecting public." I argue that general collectors (and especially
collectors of shell craft artifacts) are directly and indirectly highly
destructive of a diminishing, living resource in today's world. I
distinguish between general collectors (those who amass collections for the
sake of having a collection simply to have a collection, to compete with
others, to have the biggest/most perfect or most, or to satisfy their
collector personality) versus natural history collectors (those who collect
limited, representative samples only for their own use for the purpose of
study, advancement of knowledge and education). My feelings are that we have
so diminished the natural environment with development and pollution, so
expanded collecting techniques, and so expanded the commercial exploitation
of shells for both general collectors and craft, as to create significant
and increasingly focused pressures on diminishing habitat resulting in
extinction of many species in many locales. In the past there was not a mass
market for shells or shell craft products. It's quite different today. For
these reasons shell collectors will have a greater and greater impact, esp.
if the hobby was to grow proportionally with the growth in world-wide
wealth. So, I do not lament the decline in shell collecting simply as a
"hobby for the masses." This is not to say I oppose "responsible
collecting."  But, after more than 60 years of human interaction, I know it
would be impossible to expect the average hobbyist to be motivated to be
"responsible" about a hobby of this nature. Here is the code (shortened from
the original 10) that I believe represents "responsible shell collecting."

1. Collect for the sake of knowledge, facilitating science-oriented
knowledge, sharing knowledge and sharing what is collected.
2. Collect for representation of a species and not simply for the biggest,
best, most.
3. Collect live material only in limited numbers, only when known to be very
plentiful, only from artificial habitats where they would not otherwise
exist, or in circumstances where the certainty is high they will die or be
destroyed in the very near future.
4. Carefully examine all live-collected material and leave in place any
specimens you will not actually use in accordance with #1.
5. Never collect shells to trade or give away unless for a source you know
will use them in accordance with #1.
6. Don't collect for the purpose of joining a social club or to win ribbons
and trophies at shell shows. If this is your main interest, choose a
collecting hobby that doesn't destroy habitat and kill wildlife.


Marlo
merritt island, fl

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