Hello to everyone!
Fist of all, since this is the first time I appear in
the list, I guess I must introduce myself. My name is
Fali (a nick for Rafael) and I'm from Málaga (Spain)
[Saludos Alfonso].
I have always lived in a cottage by the seaside.
Logically, as a child, seashells fascinated me and I
started to collect them 'seriously' as a teenager. My
first shell was a 'Cabestana cutacea' the sea itself
brought into my house during a great storm. After
that, I realized that my real interest had to be
seashells from MY (?!) sea (a romantic licence due to
my age). Finally, I decided to collect European
shells, focusing on Mediterranean species mainly.
Of course, I love all seas. And none of them is mine,
nor anyone's, but everyone's. I love Nature in general
and, obviously, I agree with the idea that it must be
protected. Who can deny or reject that?
But, when I read that 'Mitra zonata', 'Schilderia
achatidea' or 'Erosaria spurca' (among others) from
the Mediterranean Sea are... protected!, the only
thing I felt like doing -and forgive me- was laughing
and asking to myself: protected... against what? from
whom?
As I have written before, I believe everything should
be preserved somehow from our destructive influence (I
mean human beings in general, and, thus collectors in
particular are not excluded). But, when I think of
the little negative impact that collectors can cause
to the populations of the species we are dealing with,
whilst, on the other hand, we are overfishing them and
destroying their habitats, I realize how very useless
-and even silly- can be sometimes this 'protections',
or, at least, this protective means and procedures: do
not forget that, supposedly, you can be punished if
you've got a single item of them... even if it was
dead when collected!
Yes, the main enemy of 'Mitra zonata', 'Schilderia
achatidea' or 'Charonia lampas' is fishing, not
collecting. In Málaga, 'zonata' and 'achatidea' are
fished monthly by the HUNDREDS, and not for commercial
purposes, of course, but simply because they are
there, living at the same place as fishes do. And once
they have been taken out of the sea, and in case the
fishermen did it, what's the use of giving them back
to the waters...? Let's take into account that this
type of fishing is quite agressive for sea bottoms.
They would go back to such an altered place that who
can assure they could survive.
As to 'lampas', there is a long tradition
of fishing them here for comsuption during the months
"spelled with r"; i.e., from September to April. By
some people, they are regarded as a delicacy. If you
go to a fish market during this period you will often
find them (although their presence is decreasing year
after year). In case you want them to be
Mediterranean, "they are for a collection", the
sellers will state they come from the Alboran Sea.
But, if you start by informing them that they are
protected in the Mediterranean, they will affirm
wholly convinced: "they come from the Atlantic". No
comment.
In the case of 'Erosaria spurca' and 'Pinna nobilis'
the actual enemy are pollution and human constructions
close to or in the sea (housing schemes, quays,
piers...). Evidently, when the population is already
damaged and one comes collecting... Nevertheless, what
came first? and, who exerted the real neagative
influence?
So, let's protect... With a global vision and a clever
attitude!
Well, a long speech for a first time.
Best wishes to everyone out there (or shall I write
"in here").
Fali.
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