>Well stated! Thank you.
Vicky Wall
Dear List:
>
> In regards to the truth about the Live shelling ban on Sanibel:
>
> Years ago the late great Tucker Abbott was actually uncertain about the
> total shelling ban on Sanibel Island. Two species per day per person
> could have
> been kept in force and was legitimate. We still see people carry off live
> shells from the beaches contrary to the law and many of these people are
> residents of the island. Personally, it isn't worth getting caught and
> getting into
> trouble. But there are many locals you can still buy local specimen
> shells
> from, that have the same great color surprisingly enough that they had
> when they
> were collected before the ban! Interesting!!! But when it came to the
> final
> hearing on the subject nobody who collected shells stepped up to the
> plate
> to stop the total ban! Many people can talk but they do not do anything
> about
> the problems they talk about. Action speaks louder than words, so the
> state
> banned collection of live mollusks on Sanibel, because everybody could
> talk
> but nobody showed up to fight for what was right! The collectors were not
> the
> main blame for the shelling on Sanibel. Progress, overpopulation due to
> growth, pollution, fresh water intrusion and several beach
> re-nourishments locally
> due to declining seashores has been more of a problem.
>
> Yes, the numbers of people can significantly impact an ecosystem with
> pollution and other factors. But the casual weekender does not know about
> shell
> trails in the sand or how to find certain species during low tide. Also
> Most
> people who aren't collectors do not know what to do with a live shell
> when they
> find it, so they leave it. How many serious collectors actually exist
> that
> know how to fill their buckets up? Can't be too many or all shell dealers
> would
> be millionaires from these zealous collectors!Especially, with so much
> interest if it existed in collecting specimen shells! Guido Poppe
> recently noted
> in an article that the number of collectors has declined significantly
> over
> the years.So again why is over-collection blamed?
>
> It was suggested by Tucker that it would take a lot more than casual
> collecting of shells on Sanibel even by the bucket load to deplete the
> local
> Molluscan population in the area. Then again, nobody blamed the pollution
> and fresh
> water overflow from the Caloosahatchee River. Recently, Turners beach and
> Blind pass on Sanibel had problems with sewage overflow and feces washing
> into
> the waters in that area and beaches were shut down. Many fish died so
> some
> impact had to be felt by other marine creatures. Red tide has also been
> very
> hard on the area in past years as well as hurricanes and bad weather
> shifting
> molluscan populations around. There is also condo building whether
> restricted
> or not that played its part over the years.
>
> The gory truth about the Sanibel shelling ban is that it was actually
> created by a few "Old Guard" of the island who really didn't want people
> intruding
> on their island, namely the tourists. I have been a resident of Sanibel
> and
> can speak from experience that the shelling ban I believe was a way of
> keeping
> away tourists from Sanibel and the shells that the locals loved to
> collect.
> I could talk for ions concerning reasons why it isn't collectors that
> hurt
> the shelling on Sanibel, but I hope I got my point across from an
> experienced
> collector who lived there many years. Now Sanibel businesses are hurting
> and
> many places may continue to shut down. Hopefully, everything Sanibel and
> the
> state has banned in the past has not come back to hurt the island
> economically. Live shelling and the collection of live specimens was
> certainly a draw for
> many worldwide collectors to come and spend money on the island. But of
> course the locals weren't interested in the tourism. What about now? Most
> people
> who do not live on the island do not do enough damage in collecting in
> such a
> short time they are on vacation, because by the time they learn the great
> places to go, the vacation is normally over. The shell collectors who
> live on
> the island shell almost everyday during the lowest tides and especially
> at
> night lows!!!
>
> Let's stop blaming the over-collection and look at the environmental
> reasons. After Hurricane Charley all the live shells were buried on the
> beach with
> tractors before the collectors or residents could get back on the island
> after
> the hurricane!The shells were not placed back in the water, because they
> were storm tossed and were going to die anyway! What happens during the
> winter
> and summer storms when live shells wash up on the beach? Do these shells
> survive? But if a collector picks one up, they will be fined and even
> jailed! It
> doesn't make good sense! Storm tossed shells normally die or are dying!
> Throw
> them back in the water like you see some people do and they will get
> shocked
> even more. Most people do not gently walk the live shell back in the
> water,
> they throw it!
>
> Collectors could never collect what a shrimper or fishermen kills in one
> day
> of trawling! in their nets!! But again the poor casual collector is
> blamed
> for over-collecting. Not the environmental condition, pollution, etc.
> Frankly,
> politicians would like you to believe that the pollution etc is being
> well
> controlled, so they blame the casual collectors for the decline of local
> species to due over-collecting. They do not want to take the blame for
> the lack of
> control they have over the environment, as many lobbyists etc are
> involved
> with large companies or special interest groups that hide facts about the
> environment.Look at global warming and look no further, politicians are
> more
> worried about other things than the environment. But they will always
> have the
> casual shell collector to pick on for over-collecting. I hope many
> collectors
> stop letting these politicians feel they are right, because one day
> collecting
> shells will be restricted everywhere and the hobby will be no more for
> future generations! I believe in conserving, but let's put blame where
> blame
> should be placed!
>
> I hope my point about over-collecting is better understood!
>
> Fredric Briskin
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> [log in to unmask] - a forum for informal discussions on molluscs
> To leave this list, click on the following web link:
> http://listserv.uga.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=conch-l&A=1
> Type your email address and name in the appropriate box and
> click leave the list.
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
----------------------------------------------------------------------
[log in to unmask] - a forum for informal discussions on molluscs
To leave this list, click on the following web link:
http://listserv.uga.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=conch-l&A=1
Type your email address and name in the appropriate box and
click leave the list.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|