This discussion of shell collecting techniques seems to be revolving
around a supposition that just isn't accurate, namely that large
specimen shell exporters obtain their stock by personally employing
various methods of mass collecting (and therefore mass destruction).
This is being contrasted to "individual" collecting, by techniques
supposedly more environmentally friendly.  This is simply not the way
it is.  Most of the larger exporters of quality specimens, at least
the several I am best acquainted with, actually do little if any
personal collecting.  They purchase virtually all their stock from
local sources - fishermen, divers, collectors, etc.  They also
purchase from smaller wholesalers, who in turn buy from individual
collectors.  Several suppliers I know in the Philippines make
frequent "buying trips" to the other islands, where they can  select
from the current stock of the various local wholesalers.  So, in the
final analysis, virtually all specimen quality shells are collected
by "individuals".  I am not so naive as to assume that all these
individuals are concerned about environmental issues.  They are
trying to earn a living.  But there is no way to weed out shells
collected improperly from those collected properly.  The concept of
purchasing only shells known to be obtained by environmentally sound
methods is attractive, but the cold hard facts are:
No collector (or shell show committee) can be certain of how a retail
dealers's shells were obtained, because . . .
No dealer can be certain of how his wholesaler's shells were
obtained, because . . .
No wholesaler can be certain of how his suppliers' shells were
obtained, because . . .
No local supplier can be certain of how his many individual
collectors got them.
Also, to be realistic, if you personally trade shells with another
individual collector, bypassing all the middlemen, you still have no
way of knowing with certainty how the person obtained the shells.
Wholesalers pool the shells they obtain from various sources.  This
has advantages and disadvantages.  The principle advantage is
specimen quality.  When you trade with an individual, you get the
best that person was able to find in his own neighborhood.  A
wholesaler on the other hand has many specimens obtained by many
individuals in many places, has already rejected inferior material,
and can select the best quality from a larger stock.  A retail dealer
who has let his wholesalers know that he will accept only the best can
usually offer considerably better quality than most individual
collectors can.  This is the "service" a retail dealer offers to the
collectors who purchase from him/her.  The biggest disadvantage of
this system is the loss of detailed locality data.  Since wholesalers
pool their specimens, the best they can usually provide to a retailer
is general data -  the island or general locality where the specimens
were collected.  A wholesaler is not going to keep separate, detailed
locality data for each individual specimen.  That kind of data can be
obtained only from the individual who collected the shell in its
natural habitat.
 
Paul M.