Right, I didn't mean they got permits for commercial
purposes, just that some of the extra shells wind up on
the market, same as the deep water shells collected by
ALVIN or other deep-water submersibles.  I won't
argue Ecuadoran politics, I'm sure you have a good
handle on that.  Still, if a multi-millionaire wants to
collect the Galapagos for his own personal "scientific"
reasons, I suspect it would be easy enough to acquire
the permits.

Cheers,


Don

----- Original Message -----
From: "Howard L. Clark or Kate Clark" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2006 5:54 AM
Subject: Re: Galapagos shells and shelling


> No doubt there are some old shells from Galapagos that are being
> recycled.
>
> However, the notion that "Some people have collected in the
> Galapagos in recent years (in limited areas) by permit" is hard to
> credit.  I live in Ecuador; I am familiar with the permit situation.  If
> it
> is difficult to get a collecting permit for scientific purposes in
> continental Ecuador, there is no way one could readily get a
> legitimate collecting permit for commercial purposes in the
> Galapagos Marine Reserve.  And, to remove the shells from the
> country would also require an export permit.  If these requirements
> were met, the seller can provide copies of the documentation that
> backs up his material.
>
> But wait, Ecuador is a third world country.  There are lots of ways
> around the law.  The easiest is to just ignore it.  The others involve
> bribery of one kind or another.
>
>>>
> Kate Clark .
> P.O. Box 17-12-863
> Quito, Ecuador
>
>
> --
> Este mensaje ha sido analizado por MailScanner
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>
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