I love seashells. I am a collector of little shells and interesting objects I find while walking on the beach.
While some beaches are known for their variety of seashells and for beach combing (like those in Florida, Hawaii and Gulf states), at the beaches here in Monterey Bay, you will likely run into seaweed or giant kelp that have lost their tether and left their undersea home, rather than shells. It is not a beach you visit to collect seashells.
My grandson, Gabriel, having fun with kelp that washed up on the beach.
But…you will see sand dollars, broken clam or mussel shells (perhaps remnants from many sea otter lunches), a lot of driftwood, and depending on the beach, pretty little stones, or smooth glass pieces.
The boys lining up their find of sand dollars… At this beach walk, each of the sand dollars they found (oddly) had barnacles growing on top.
The few shells that do end up on the beach are clean, because the animal that lived inside was already eaten by other creatures, shore birds and beach scavengers…or have rotted away before the tide pushed them onto the beach.
My grandson, Jun, showing California mussel shells that washed ashore. Mussels filters two to three quarts (about two to three liters) of water every hour in order to collect enough food to survive.
My grandsons have picked up my little beach object collecting habit, and we have come back from beach walks with bits of shells, a pretty rock or tiny driftwood.
I started to put their treasures in glass jars, not because they are colorful or striking like those found at other beaches, but because they liked it and picked it up, and it was a little treasure to them.
Some of the little shells and rocks my grandsons collected are in this glass jar.
Although Monterey Bay beaches are not known for pretty seashells, tourist stores — especially those at the Fisherman’s Wharf — do sell colorful sea shells from different parts of the world.
Just as people enjoy eating seafood when visiting seaside towns, people also like buying shells and related products as souvenirs. I’m sure stores that sell seashells and dried up starfish and other marine animals can be be found in just about any seaside community that caters to tourists.
A few years ago, during the off-season for tourists, I stopped by a store off of Highway 1 that sold shells and seashell products.
Their sign indicated “Sea Shells from Around the World”… but really, the majority of the shells are from a certain part of the world, and that is the Philippines. In fact, when I went inside to browse, about 90% of the shells were marked as being from the Philippines.
Why is this? First, the Philippines has a rich and diverse ocean life (cited as “the center of the center” of biodiversity by researchers at the California Academy of Sciences) with an amazing array of seashells — many of which are prized by collectors.
Second, the Philippines is a poor country…so those in the shell trade could easily exploit locals with low pay to collect these shells for export to tourist shops.
Sea shell shop Monterey Bay “Off-season”
Growing up in the Philippines, I was accustomed to seeing seashell products fashioned into jewelry, necklaces and decorative items, or dried marine animals like starfish, seahorses glued onto frames and home decor items.
Because they were so common, I always thought that these seashells and marine animals were picked up by beach combing… as in, the creatures are already dead and washed ashore.
After a visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seahorse Exhibit, I learned otherwise. From my blog post about the exhibit…
This is not the case, and much of these animals are collected ALIVE and dried to make these souvenirs.
I am saddened at how uninformed I was about this practice! Family and friends, please do not buy these souvenirs.
With everything else happening to our oceans, we all have to do our part to stop this. And please spread the word about protecting these fragile and fascinating creatures. In the process, we also protect and preserve their homes —and our home. More here
This poster from the Aquarium says it best…
In support of World Oceans Day and as part of a series for the Earth-Friendly Chroniclers blogging challenge, I am again posting this information.
If I made this incorrect assumption about the shells and dried starfish or seahorses sold at tourist shops, then there are probably others who do not know this information. More from a shell article in Wikipedia:
…the majority of seashells which are offered for sale commercially have been collected alive (often in bulk) and then killed and cleaned, specifically for the commercial trade. This type of large-scale exploitation can sometimes have a strong negative impact on local ecosystems, and sometimes can significantly reduce the distribution of rare species.
I am also re-posting this video from the California Academy of Sciences, on the dramatic decline of seahorses all over the world. Excerpt from my post about seahorses:
…The huge economic boom in China means even more trouble for seahorse populations, as seahorses are highly sought after for use in traditional Chinese medicines.
US Customs at the San Francisco airport recently confiscated a shipment of at least 1,000 seahorses, and the US Fish and Wildlife turned over the dried seahorses to the California Academy of Sciences to help determine their source. See full post here… including a link about the sea dragons (and seahorses) supply chain and market.
Have you heard of, or used products with dried seahorses?
I can’t help but think that we are doing the same thing to our ocean and its resources, as we did with our forests. Are we going to look back 25 years from now and find out we unknowingly wiped out certain species of marine life because of unsustainable fishing… and what seems like an innocuous shell collecting hobby?
Can we stop and first find out how these shells are harvested? If it is done sustainably, or if these creatures are collected beach comb style, then we can happily collect to our heart’s content. But if not, then we need to find ways to educate the public so we can make responsible choices about the shells we buy. I don’t want my grandchildren to ask why our generation let the same thing happen to our oceans, as we did to our forests in the Philippines.
Are you a seashell collector? If you buy seashells from seaside tourist shops, should the shops let consumers know if the shells were collected from the shore, or sustainably harvested?
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To participate in the Earth-Friendly Chroniclers’ blogging challenges hosted by Jane from Just Another Nature Enthusiast or to see other submissions for the theme “Healthy Oceans – Healthy Planet” click here.