At 11:38 AM 7/1/99 EDT, you wrote:
>The live shelling that is doing the damage is the commercial shelling by
>fishermen. It's not an easy call, but something has to be done. They make
>their living selling clams, scallops and the lot and when you limit their
>take, you hit them right in the pocket book. Many of the shells that
>collectors desire don't have the commercial value of these other shells, so
>there is less pressure on them.
>
>I remember many years ago asking one of my mentors "which shells do the
>natives eat" after he had explained that many of the shells that are
>collected are part of the food chain for the locals. He said there was only
>one they didn't eat and when I asked which one, he said the egg cowrie. "Why"
>I asked, and he said "They say it doesn't taste good." Ah the simplicity of
>it all. The answer to many of life's questions and riddles. "It just doesn't
>taste good." That is when I first started to become enlighten. Best to all.
>
>Frank Walker
>Gems From The Sea
>72 Peltier Street, Marlborough, MA 01752 USA
>BUY - SELL - TRADE - Gift Certificates Available
>"Quality Specimen Sea Shells & Shell Crafts"
>(508) 481-7491; Fax: (508) 624-9778; out-of- state 1-800-497-3601
>E-mail: [log in to unmask]   Web Site: http://www.shellgems.com
>We accept ALL major credit cards!
>hello to all,

My name is David, I'm an American doing my medical schooling in the
Philippines. I like to start by saying hello to all those in the Georgia
Shell Club, I hope someone from there can see this and remembers me. I've
only been in Cebu, PI for about two months now. For a shell collector who
only saw specimens from the Pacific in books or purchased from dealers, it
has been unbelievable. I've seen such rare specimens as C. valentia,
guttata, leucodon, porteri, langfordi,Conus excelsus, huge gloriamaris and
numerous Pleurotomaria. I have never seen so many shells that I thought I
would have a hard time seeing in person let alone own. I have found a few
fishing villages in Bohol and Mindanao where I can purchase thse and
basically any shell found in the Philippines. They are fresh caught and
from trustful people. There are a lot of fakes in the tourist areas. I've
seen fake valentia and sakuri. They are pretty good I must say. To cut a
long story short the prices here for rare shells are rediculously low if
you know where to get them. I have found such fisherman and would like to
give every collector the opportunity to own if they so desire any shell
from the Philippines. I can beat any dealer anywhere and can guarantee
these are not fake. I don't have intentions to do this full time I would
just like other people to experience the joy of owning these unbelievable
specimens at a very reasonable price. If anyone is ineterested e-mail me at
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