I agree with you.  Dr. Abbott has always said it is impossible for the
average collector to wipe out the shells.
Many shells move from area to area in search of food.  We have witnessed
this for a fact.
 
Too much overbuilding, dredging, pollution, beach "renourishment",
bulldozing, etc.
 
We personally watched the abalone population go down in Calif.  The sports
fisherman was allowed at one time to take 5 abalone and their was a size
limit.  At the same time the commercial fisherman was allowed to take as
many as they wanted (and a good price was received for these by the
restaurant business).   At the same time the sea otter was protected - his
main source of  food was the abalone...  Getting the protection ban off
the sea otter has been impossible and now their are sea otters
everywhere...and no abalone!
 
Interesting that the Japanese were smart enough to protect and block off
certain areas of their coastline for collecting abalone....so that an area
is only used for collecting every 5 years.  SMART PEOPLE!!!
 
Trying to hold the collecting to two of each species is impossible unless
the enforcing officers are taught to identify each specie....and if there
were enough officers to enforce it.
Almost an impossibility!!!
 
Paul Monfils wrote:
 
> One consideration that seems to get overlooked whenever collectors are
> blamed for wiping out a species.  In order for this to happen, a
> minimum of hundreds of thousands of specimens would have to be
> collected, in some cases perhaps millions.  Where are these
> specimens?
> Paul M.
> Rhode Island
 
--
Jim and Bobbi Cordy
of Merritt Island, Florida.
Specalizing in Self-Collected
Caribbean & Florida Shells