This is a very good thread. Since when have mulloscks
become not food? I have eaten most and they are fantastic?
My favorite of all seafoods are Haliotis! As a matter of
fact they are my favorite food, period. <that was also a
period. Canned tuna, yuck! Only fresh. Can we somehow get
the mullosk cannierys? involved? Who on this net knows
someone in the industry? Lets go get them and protect our
hobby if it is at all possible.
Since retireing back at my home in southern MN I have meet
no other shell collector. I guess I am to centrally
locatted to the seas ie:Pacific, Atlantic, Gulf and Hudson
Bay. All about equal distance.
I  am also lucky to be married to a beautiful woman from
Madagascar and get to go back every few years. The
collecting is great but get a permit for what you want to
take out, or mail them in two kilo or less boxes.
Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year
Fred
----------
> From: ferreter <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Back to the Conservation Issue - Sanibel and
tuna
> Date: Wednesday, December 02, 1998 8:12 AM
>
> Maybe what we need is a legislative lobby, contact the
tobacco lobby , they
> can do anything. on the serious side , we do need a voice
where it counts ,
> any volunteers? . .
> As for what i wrote last week , it was intended to get
both view points and
> suggestions on "what can be done to help" but as usual it
turned into a
> fingerpointing and mud throwing event . Hey , I'm a BFT
and it's easy to hit
> me with mud , now that we've settled down , the question
still needs to be
> addressed , "What can be done to help ourselves and our
hobby". When the
> World Tuna fleet got flack and boycotts for the killing
of Bi-catch animals
> like dolphins the Tuna industry began a highly visible
campaign of getting
> divers in the water to free the trapped turtles and
dolphins. the result , a
> label that states "dolphin safe" . this boosted sales
beyond the pre-boycott
> levels. see there is a way for conservation to work but
sometimes it does
> take an effort. mark
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kim C. Hutsell <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Wednesday, December 02, 1998 6:22 PM
> Subject: Re: Back to the Conservation Issue - Sanibel
>
>
> >Just out of curiosity...why is it that the COA, the
biggest mollusk
> >oriented organization in the United States, is letting
itself be
> >legislated out of existance? I hear a lot about being
blamed for declines
> >in molluscan populations, but nothing about an active
defense? Do we
> >really want to go the same way as fresh-water mussel
collectors and bird
> >egg collectors?
> >
> >Specimens and data in old collections can be informative
and fascinating
> >but only tells us about the past. These tell us little
about the present
> >state of our environment if we can't get out and take
new samples to
> >study it.
> >
> >We continually sit by and let ourselves and our
activities be blamed for
> >anything and everything. We talk amongst ourselves, get
each other all
> >worked up, pat each other on the back because we all
recognize the
> >problems and, then, let it go.  It reminds me of
bitching about being in
> >a bad marriage, but being too lazy to do anything about
it.
> >
> >I get so frustrated with some of the attitudes I
encounter, I can hardly
> >stand it. Mostly it's people who believe that they can
go on about their
> >business...collecting responsibly, or studying their
clades, or drawing
> >their trees, or writing their articles, or dealing their
shells...and
> >hoping someone else take care of defending their (our)
> >hobby/avocation/profession. When are we going to wake up
and pull our
> >heads out of the sand? There ISN'T anyone else! We're
it! And if we don't
> >start standing up against bad legislation, we might as
well start hunting
> >plastic seashells in our bath tubs!
> >
> >Kim Hutsell
> >San Diego
> >
> >Bobbi Cordy wrote:
> >>
> >> I stated several times that one of the big problems in
FL is the
> >> renourishment of beaches where hundreds of shells and
being pumped out
> >> of the ocean onto the beaches....well here is what was
in yesterdays
> >> paper:
> >>
> >> "Panama City Beach - A renourishment project is
providing beachcombers
> >> with a bonanza of shells of all kinds and calibers.
> >> In addition, dredges are bringing up gun shells
expended during military
> >> training exercises in or over the Gulf of Mexico.
> >> Beachcombers usually have to wait until low tides
after storms to find
> >> fresh seashells, but the dredging is providing them
with relatively
> >> untouched specimens in the sand being pumped from
offshore to restore
> >> severely eroded beaches.
> >> The $21.5 million renourishment is about 40percent
complete and on
> >> schedule, said Rafael Castillo, a quality control
official with Great
> >> lakes Dredge and Dock Co. which has been doing the
dredging work."
> >> Florida Today, Tuesday, December 1, 1998.
> >>
> >> AND very soon the scientific shell collector will be
told it is their
> >> fault because the shells are gone.  What a crock!!!
> >>
> >> --
> >> Jim and Bobbi Cordy
> >> of Merritt Island, Florida.
> >> Specializing in Self-Collected
> >> Caribbean & Florida Shells
> >