I recall quite a few years back, a fellow in Natal was getting a lot of shells
from a beach reclamation project.  They were pumping sand from an offshore
area onto the beach, and the offshore sand-swelling mollusks were coming onto
the beach too, apparently by the thousands  I recall he got some species by
the hundreds, which were listed as uncommon at that time.  He sent me a
hundred Oliva caroliniana, saying he had a couple of thousand of them, all
gem, and all collected either alive or fresh dead, right on the beach.  Always
wondered what would have happened if he had returned some of these to the
ocean - it wound mean returning deep water species to a shallow subtidal
habitat.  Would they have survived?  Found their way back into deeper water?
Any ideas on this?
 
Paul M.