Hi Rich, years ago,  one of the LISC members took  a bunch of us out
in his small boat in LIS at  Setauket harbor and there we found
surprisingly some really good stuff (Yolida limatula, Nucula proxima,
Chitons, Odostomias, Nassarius trivitattus ,  and other shallow water
rubble and muck-liking  species, right in the middle of a busy
harbor)...so that would coincide with your comments about the inshore
areas possibly being more favorable. Certainly easier , especially for
getting the hang of it, than the open sound. Several of the folks who
went on the "open water extension" of the above-mentioned trip came
back feeling a bit seasick, shall we say, also not being ready for the
winds and waves. And except for a few Astarte undata, I dont think
they had anything else.

On 11/21/11, worldwide <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> I can attest to the murkiness (muckiness?) of LIS.  I did my open water
> certification dive off of Oyster Bay, Long Island.  I could not even see my
> finger tips at arm's length!  It was the first (and last time) I donned a
> tank and submerged myself in the swill.  I've also had some experience
> dredging in the Sound some years back.  The amount of expense and work does
> not pay off in shell dividends.  I'm not familiar with the coast line of
> Connecticut, but the bays and inlets along the north shore of L.I. can yield
> some nice size Busycon carica and canaliculatum when snorkeling in shallow
> water during the early Spring months.  And the in shore areas tend to be
> less murky than the open Sound.  Exploring for shells is part tried-and-true
> and part trial-and-error.  At least you have a good cross-section of
> opinions and advice on Conch-L to help keep your shell explorations moving
> ahead.
>
> Rich
>
> At 01:19 PM 11/21/2011, you wrote:
>>
>> @ Mike, on the bottom of LIS? Seriously? A small hobby dredge?
>>
>> Especially as our young friend is going to be dredging off Fairfield
>> County, and considering the degree of hypoxia and anoxia that habitat
>> suffers, how much is alive there anyway?
>>
>> Dredging is destructive. But it is the large commercial operations that do
>> real damage. I don't believe, in this habitat, that Eddie's gonna do much
>> harm.
>>
>> I could be wrong. I'll stand down if corrected.
>>
>> But dry suit diving in that nasty habitat? Have you been diving here? The
>> vis is about ten inches, on a good day you can see your hand at the end of
>> your arm. You won't be able to clearly count your fingers.
>>
>> Ed, instead of even thinking of spending all that money on a dry suit,
>> take a trip or two to Eleuthera with the Astronaut Shell Club's trips.
>> Much. More. Fun.
>>
>> Diving in Long Island Sound?
>>
>> *shudder*
>>
>>
>> On Mon, Nov 21, 2011 at 12:58 PM, steve rosenthal <[log in to unmask]>
>> wrote:
>> Eddie, another thing to consider, if not too far, is to get your
>> parents to drive you into Western RI, at  Galilee, Rhode Island, by
>> the ferry to Block Island. They can go enjoy a nice bowl of chowder
>> while you can look for shells in the lobster traps or around the
>> ground where the lobster traps are stacked up. Someone will have
>> thereby already done all the hard work, and you will likely find a lot
>> more (and better stuff)  including from deeper water than you would on
>> your own with one small dredge. Even on a slow day you can find tons
>> of small shells like Urosalpinx cinerea and Anachis translirata and
>> usually some moon snails, and maybe some whelks. On a good day you may
>> find Astarte clams or Buccinum undatum (waved whelks from deeper
>> water).
>>
>> The one time my friends went dreding in the sound (I stayed ashore)
>> they found a few Astarte undata that way. THis was somewhere north of
>> Setauket on Long Island.
>>
>>
>>
>> On 11/21/11, mike gray <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>> > Eddie,
>> >
>> > Hate to be a party-pooper, but dredging is a very destructive way to
>> > collect shells.
>> >
>> > Get certified, buy a good dry suit, learn to use it, and forget the
>> > dredge.
>> >
>> > regards
>> > mike
>> >
>> > On 11/17/2011 5:24 PM, Eddie G. wrote:
>> >> Hi all,
>> >> My family owns a boat on the Long Island Sound here in Connecticut. Now
>> >> that
>> >> it is too cold to snorkel I am thinking about using a dredge off our
>> >> boat
>> >> to
>> >> find shells. Does anyone know of any places where I can purchase a
>> >> dredge
>> >> and maybe some spots that are good for dredging in Connecticut.
>> >> Thanks,
>> >> Eddie
>> >>
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