Dear Douglas, Dear all,
 
It's very hard to say how many specimens you can or should
collect and it's depending of the use of the shells. Especially
on landshells when I collecting them it's for impossible to say
and depends on the methods of collecting. If you take mould
and rubble and so on to sort out the microshells, you can't avoid
to take from a common microshells even large numbers. And in
the mould or earth if you select them out they mostly are fresh
dead and you'll get from 2 kilos even several hundreds of specimens without being gulty (responsible) for yourself.
On the other hand shells, as well as inland-shells and marine shells
are together with birds and mammals the only beasts you can take dead. An enthomologist can't take dead insects.
The danger to endanger some species is mostly not really given
by collecting scientifically and even when you collect in great
numbers, as I've seen large series in private collections and
museums collection, the danger is more in destroying nature and
environs, cultivations, the destroying of habitats.
I can tell you more but I think my English is not so good to explain
it all.
Helmut from Innsbruck
 
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>         As per the discussion as to how many specimens one should collect, I
> decided
> I should add my opinion and actions to the thread.  I have always tried to
> adhere to the collecting ethics published by the Hawaiian Malacological
> Society a number of years ago.
>
>         As I thought about this I realized that the number of my "take" varies
> considerably from one situation to another.  In marine situations I tend to
> take only the few I need.  For terrestrial snails and freshwater mussels I
> normally take only dead shells as these are usually readily available.  When I
> do take live specimens of terrestrial snails of freshwater mussels it is for a
> research need, need for a voucher which cannot be taken otherwise, etc.  For
> freshwater snails, I realize I tend to take a larger sample (50 - 150) as
> needed for comparative studies and sharing with others.  Freshwater snails
> tend to be so variable that I have found that a larger sample is usually
> better.  For those who would be or are offended by this, understand that
> freshwater snails usually are found in such abundance that such a take is
> minuscule.  Of course, I do not do this for "protected species" regardless of
> how abundant they may be in a certain area.  In any environment I pick up as
> many specimens of "dead shells" as I can carry as I feel they are better
> spread around in various collections or museums rather than left to the
> corrosive forces of nature.
>
>         Also many of the permits I have from various states specify a number
> or
> percentage of each species I may take.  Usually this is listed as 10% or less
> of any given population (not that I take that many).
>
>         I am conservation conscious and try to leave a habitat as well or
> better than
> I find it, but I also realize that as someone mentioned earlier, scientific
> collecting may sometimes dictate a larger sample that the few typically taken
> by collectors.
>
>         I welcome the comments of others on this thread,  In particular I ask
> Kevin,
> Tom, Andy, Marion, Harry, and others to share their views.
>
> Doug Shelton
> Alabama Malacological Research Center
> 2370-G Hillcrest Road #236
> Mobile, AL  36695  USA
>