Hi all, I sent this message earlier but since I've not yet seen it posted I'm guessing that I did it wrong. Anyway.....I just returned from a week in Kino Bay, Mexico. It is in the state of Sonora and just SW of Hermosillo. One of the things we do there in addition to shelling is eat oysters and shrimp ...usually divine. This time there were NO OYSTERS anywhere in the area (especially where they are raised). We were told that there were NO oysters anywhere that they were gone. For some reason no oysters can be farmed at this time. What happened? This once thriving business is at a complete standstill. Is this a forever thing or a temporary thing? Is this typical of places where oysters are raised? Did el nino do them in? I did some shelling at my favorite beaches. These are the town dumps where the fishermen empty their nets of stuff that they don't want. They leave huge piles of murexes, clams, cockles, scotch bonnets, spindles, etc. (please forgive the non scientific names). I was very pleased to find a shell that I had not seen before. It is a mitra belcheri...actually, I found two. They are quite beautiful and quite large. It's great to find something NEW. Where else can you find them besides in the Sea of Cortez? Hoping to hear from you......Jen (in Phoenix) ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com