Dear Harry and Conch-Listers,

The question of collecting pressure is always present here on Sanibel; I
often hear how "shelling was much better back in my days" or "before the
causeway." The fact is that we don't have baseline data to compare with.
However, it is clear that now we have a population of shellers a few orders
of magnitude larger than in the "old days," and this will affect the outcome
and success of any individual collector. Furthermore, independent of
collecting pressure, environmental degradation, in particular domestic and
agro-chemical pollution in backbay areas, may have a much more lasting
effect on the local availability of shells. The main difference is that when
collecting pressure decreases the shells are there for taking literally in
the next day, whereas the effects of environmental degradation are
long-lasting, sometimes irreversible.

Cheers

José H. Leal, Ph.D., Curator & Director of Education  
The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum
Editor, The Nautilus
[log in to unmask]            
www.shellmuseum.org <http://www.shellmuseum.org/>

                                                
3075 Sanibel-Captiva Road
Sanibel, FL 33957 USA
(239)395-2233
fax (239)395-6706

 
P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail

 

From: Conchologists List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
Harry Lee
Sent: Monday, January 20, 2014 4:10 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [CONCH-L] Shells & tourists!

Dear Marien,

Strong anecdotal posit.

Do others feel the shells are less abundant on Sanibel beaches than they
were 10, 20, 30, 40, or 50 years ago?

Perhaps a study of the sort that Dr. K. performed should be performed on
that island's beaches, which to my knowledge are subjected to plenty of
collecting pressure (empty shells only, of course) and are not raked or
otherwise altered by man.

Harry


At 03:28 PM 1/20/2014, you wrote:

Dear Harry, others,

still I am not happy. But maybe because I remember well collecting shells in
1991, Miami Beach, the early morning tidemarks opposite 22nd street. I
collected a few Niveria nix (Schilder), a Sigatica carolinensis (Dall),
perhaps a few other micros, before I had to move because they were sweeping
the beach big time (removing seaweed, beer cans, etc. using tractors with
really big rakes). Adding up my activities to those of the beach cleaner's
is totally insane. It's like weighting the elephant and blaming the louse.
Tell me: how much has Sanibel become depleted, over the years, by shell
collectors? And how could a big pile of loose (bi)valves be more "natural"
and "good" than a smaller pile, or none at all?
The following is taken from the FLMNH site: "Some countries already
recognize the negative effects of shell removal, including the Bahamas,
which limits the quantity of shells tourists can export without special
permits. However, given the multitude of tourism-related processes that
potentially contribute to shell loss, limiting shell collecting may not even
be the right answer, according to Kowalewski' . Yes, it may not even be.
Obviously it is not at all. But thanks to the shell-collecting restrictions
the Bahamas are safe now, as are the Bahamian tourist industry, the
beach-raking jobs, and the sand export activities. Sensible measures have
already been taken!

Marien

Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2014 07:47:00 -0500
From: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [CONCH-L] Shells & tourists!
To: [log in to unmask]

Dear Listers,

A more sober and disciplined journalistic treatment of the Kowalewski et al.
report can now be accessed at <
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/science-stories/2014/01/16/new-museum-study-suggest
s-seashell-loss-due-to-tourism-may-have-global-impact/ >, which site may
also be accessed through the Florida Museum of Natural History (FLMNH)
website landing page: <http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/ >.

Of interest to some of our readership is the upcoming quinquennial North
American Paleontological Convention hosted by FLMNH departments next month;
see < http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/index.php/napc/home/>.

Harry

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