Dear James,
Meat of most of these decorative species are eaten by locals. For example, pearl oysters' adductor muscles
are delicious. In Okinawa, green snail is eaten in various ways and is considered to be superior to abalone,
and trochus is widely eaten though its meat is tough. Opercula of muricids are often used as medicine.
Masashi Yamaguchi
Univ. of the Ryukyus
Okinawa