I just found this email in my "drafts" folder - i wrote it after Mr.
Egerton asked about collecting spots in his neck of the woods (British
Columbia)  I think it was archived after my internet connection went
down as it frequently does about 4:30 most mornings.  If this is a
repeat, i apologise!!

Dear Peter;
        Although i am not familiar with this area specifically, i can, based
upon general similarities of most northern-temperate zone collecting,
offer a few suggestions:

1) look for an area where there are a variety of habitats in close
proximity, so you can shell several of them on one tide: salt marsh,
rocks, exposed promintory with boulders, sand with some gravel (fine
sandy beaches are generally depauperate in our neck of the woods, as you
probably have also found!), mud flats, etc.

2) look EVERYWHERE - leave no tern unstoned. (but replace them
afterwards...) - bring a 24-mesh (1mm) screen to sift seds with, or
capture sediement samples from various localities and sift them
carefully when the tide comes back.  The more different kinds of places
you look, the more surprises you will find!!

3) Get there in plenty of time - aim to begin collecting at least an
hour before low tide.  If B.C. is at all like N.S., many of the goodies
will be available only at the very lowest tide - so bring warm, dry
clothes to hop into afterwards, and don't be afraid to go subtidal.
(that said, i wouldn't recommend hip waders - just tough it out for as
long as you can still use your hands - or else bring an Inuit companion!!).

I lost contact with the shell club in Vancouver many years ago (ok, 11
years ago), but you could ask the zoologists at the local natural
history museums - they should be able to come up with local contacts.

Cheers from the great STIll white (well, to be honest today's and
yesterday's snow melted quickly....) North,
Ross M.

> From: Peter Egerton <[log in to unmask]>
>
> Hi all,
>
> I'm planning to travel up the British Columbia coast north of
> Vancouver (Gibsons - Roberts Creek - Sechelt area) this coming
> Sunday and was wondering if anyone can give me hints as to
> where the shells are on that stretch of the coast. I've never been
> to that area and have no idea what to expect or where the good
> spots are.
>
> Any idea of the species I might find? I'm hoping for muricids
> and also moon snails...
>
> Thanks,
>
> Peter
>
>         ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>      Peter Egerton, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
>      Collector of worldwide Mollusca, lifetime student
>      of zoology and computers.