Dear All:
Just a few comments from one who has traveled quite a bit, albeit mostly
overseas where collecting solely for personal edification is uncommon.
Most of the collecting I have seen has been for food and for commercial
pursuits.  I truly believe that these two forms of collecting take the
greatest toll on animal and plant populations by many orders of magnitude.
For instance, in the Philippines, where slash and burn agriculture is still
the mode of choice, I have seen selectively logged (as opposed to cleared
and burned) forest in only two spots.  Never virgin forest.  Just so you
know what that means ..... I have collected at approximately 400 localities
in the island group.  In the higher mountains of Panay, PI we had to hike
about 9 hrs to get to the base camp for a huge multinational biodiversity
survey of the area.  The mountainsides were clearcut to over 800 m (2500
ft).  Few snails occurred there, only the occasional Lamellaxis gracilis
(Hutton).  The lowland fauna was gone.  And another point about the PI to
ponder ..... it is estimated that about 75% of the human population is NOT
even of reproductive age yet.  Think about what the next twenty years
brings for this once amazing flora and fauna.  And, please, let's not get
off on education, blah, blah, blah.  The country can't afford it in many
ways.  I've watched log and log being transported to an offshore mothership
out of a National Park.  The guard was paid off and it was strongly
suggested that he stay over on the other side of the park for a few days.
We are talking about feeding your family or not.  I know where my ethics
would go if that were the case.
 
In the marine realm . . . . I've skimmed over in numerous 'boats' too
narrow for a wide body like me literally miles of dead reef throughout SE
Asia.  Dead from cyanide poisoning for the aquarium trade.  And those large
grouper that come up in this wholesale destruction?  Sold to fish markets.
Somewhere between 1 - 10% of the fish collected make it to the retail
outlets in the US and Europe.  The fishermen get pennies, the retailer,
hundreds to thousands to cover the loses and make a profit.  Early morning
in village along a beach or river, literally hundreds of people performing
their morning constitutionals in the shallow water.  Day in, day out.  Ad
nauseum.  And then we go snorkeling for shells.....
 
Field biologists (who collect, some study behavior, etc.) must take a
skewed look at the world to survive and continue to enjoy their work.
Personally, I collect as many as possible before they go extinct.  How's
that for jaded, yet realistic attitude?  At least the specimens will be in
a museum instead of fertilizing one years crop of upland rice.
 
In the US we can easily afford, both emotionally and financially, to
conserve our biota a little more effectively.  And so it's easy to try to
pawn off our armchair approach of conservation and ethics on the rest of
the world.  Sure, collecting shells for fun and profit impacts a
populations.  But to date, I know of no studies which clearly show that a
major decline in a species resulted solely from collecting (by hobbists or
dealers) pressure.  Here in the US, as well as every place else, the mere
presence of 'man' causes the problem.  A dam in Sri Lanka.... it's not the
dam so much, it's the road cut into the forest, the 10,000 workers brought
in, each with a few kids, each with a slingshot, that destroys everything
in sight.  30% or so extinction of birds in Oceania as soon as man arrives
on their little boats (ca. 3000 yrs ago) as evidenced by cave fossil
deposits.  Data are everywhere and ominous.
 
I am not advocating overcollecting at all.  We should all be thoughtful
when pursuing this passion.  Even I am very careful when collecting here.
And give credit where credit's due.  Most shell collectors are ethical,
just like most stock brokers are ethical.
 
I'll get off my soapbax now and go to work.
 
Kurt
 
At 10:43 PM 3/28/99 -0500, you wrote:
>Dear Conch-L friends: I feel I must post this additional statement in
>reference to the hypocrite post by mark and peta bethke.  Yes, he showed
>myself, my ex-wife and her brother a spot on Virgina Key, off Key
>Biscayne where the strombus raninus were present. As for wiping out the
>area or the species, this is not accurate.  We took a total of maybe 15
>specimens between the three of us that first day.  I never returned to
>that particular spot but my ex and her brother went back maybe 3 times.
>Each time they returned I helped with sorting the various shells and
>each time they maybe had 5 or 6 raninus each. We/they only collected
>what we/they were sure we would keep. I hardly think we wiped out the
>species in that area. In fact we released many more than we ever kept.
>That's it, again I apologize to Conch-L for this laundry being aired in
>this forum. Michael Huggins, Sunrise FL
>