Well, beyond that thorny problem, a boat is needed and scuba gear plus
some "insider" info about where the shells are. You'd do better up
around
Boynton Beach. See, between all the runoff from the sugarcane industry
and the heavily-fertilized, nitrogen-enriched sod the rich people
have to
have (can't have them walking on gravel like ordinary mortals), there
is a
massive explosion of bluegreen algae that coats and smothers everything.

Two years ago, Scott Schubbe drove down with me and all we saw in the
upper Keys was thick mats of algae in the place we used to find gorgeous
Cypraea zebra and cervus.

Go with one of the groups to Eleuthera or Abaco (while they still have
relatively pristine conditions). I guarantee you'll go home a much
happier
shell collector!

Best regards,
Jim

On Apr 28, 2007, at 5:48 PM, Matt Blaine wrote:

> Bad news James,
> The Florida Keys (and surrounding waters), are a sanctuary and off
> limits to
> live shelling. You can fish with a Florida fishing license but no
> shelling.
> You can shell on Cedar Kay which is up the west coast well above
> Tampa.
> Matt
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Conchologists List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
> Behalf Of
> James Parrish
> Sent: Saturday, April 28, 2007 1:44 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Newby with a question about the Keys
>
> My wife and I will be going to the Keys for a week in late May.
> This will
> be our first time to go there, so we are really needing all the
> info we
> can get concerning the best places to go shelling in the area.  We
> will be
> renting a boat and I have only been really 'shelling' for the past
> year or
> so, so anything that I would not find on the Georgia coast will be a
> welcomed find (of course I would really like to find some Tritons,
> Conchs,
> Cones, and Cowries... but who wouldn't {:o)  ).
>
> Please reply to [log in to unmask]

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