Hello Jan,

Somewhat agree on the limits on live shell collecting (but when looking
at the number of cocklers at the beaches I usually visit, I do not feel
extremely guilty taking the odd live shell or two to be honest).

However concerning the 'research' you're referring to: I call it utter
piffle. I've read it and from a methodological point of view it leaves
so many alternative explanations for the decrease in shells on beaches
unexplored that a MAC truck or two could be easily driven through
(nothing about effects of increased fisheries, nothing about mass
tourism, changes in faunal composition due to invasive species, etc., etc.).
Furthermore: 99.99999% of all shells on a beach are left there by us
beachcombers due to various reasons (broken, already in collection,
etc., etc.), while these undesired shells still make excellent habitats
for life on beaches.
But shell collectors are an easy target for politicians, etc. since they
do not form a constituency and are therefore an easy target to be able
to show the public that 'something is being done about it'. Let's not
feed them, please? Thanks in advance.

Sincerely, Erick

On 01/12/2014 09:03 AM, Jan Haspeslagh wrote:
> Hi colleague collectors,
>
> I think this article might be of interest to many of us... :
>
> http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0083615
>
> I was already convinced that live collecting is a big no-no, but how to
> explain to a child that it cannot take that beautiful valve home?
>
> Jan
>
> Jan Haspeslagh
>
> Librarian
>
> VLIZ - Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee
>
> InnovOcean site, Wandelaarkaai 7
>
> B-8400 Oostende
>
> t +32 (0) 59 34 01 85
>
> f +32 (0) 59 34 21 31
>
> gsm +32 (0) 498 802097
>
> [log in to unmask]
>
> www.vliz.be
>

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