Today we talk about an uncomfortable but extremely important topic for the health of the sea.
Shells!
The most sought-after marine object par excellence, home to countless animals, now needs us!
Why don't we collect shells?
Shells have always been collected in large quantities for the most disparate uses, first as barter goods, then as jewels and decorations, furnishings of churches and luxury buildings, to end up sadly as ashtrays in beach bars...
In recent decades, many steps forward have been made in research, sensitivity and respect for the environment and its inhabitants but the issue of shells is still particularly burning.
The most insidious battle I have fought in these years is undoubtedly the battle against collecting shells and corals from the sea or the beach.
But for every "strictly recommended not to do" you need to give a plausible reason to avoid it remaining only an uncomfortable and unpleasant imposition to respect.
The beaches where we all like to walk, listening to the pleasant sound of the sea waves, are not a fixed, eternal and immutable entity but change over time and also due to the merit/fault of man.
Above all, coral beaches are extremely beautiful, fresh and pleasing to the eye because they are made of corals and shells crumbled by the action of the waves, currents and wind. These small "crumbs" of light color, give a special, almost magical atmosphere...
Now let's add a cheerful group of tourists who go to visit this beach and each of them collects a shell and/or a coral to take home, as a "souvenir". The next day another group of tourists arrives and the day after that again and again, each collecting their own "souvenir".
What happens?
The beach that was so magical and wonderful before disappears, creating not only aesthetic but also environmental damage. On the other hand, we will have filled our homes with "souvenirs" that will remain only sterile and sad furnishing objects.
Shells bought and not collected
We often find shells of all shapes and colors in the stalls of seaside towns that make us want to buy them.
It is true that buying them is not like collecting them from the sea, but if there will always be someone who buys them, there will always be someone who fishes them to sell them!
Molluscs, like all other animals, contribute to the balance of the marine ecosystem, by fishing them in large quantities, we risk breaking this balance and creating problems…
The example of cowries
Cowries are shells widely used in street jewelry, graceful and refined, they lend themselves very well to necklaces, anklets and bracelets. Let's be clear though, once purchased, how many times will we wear them, once we return home?
For each jewel, dozens of these shells are used which multiplied by thousands of tourists a year, makes a non-negligible quantity, to then be simply withdrawn in a drawer.
Let's not forget that cowries are often caught with the mollusc inside, which has therefore been killed in order to sell them.
It is the mollusc itself that makes the shell so beautiful because it spends a lot of its time polishing and cleaning it! As long as the mollusc lives, the shell will be clean, when the mollusc dies, the shell will be attacked by algae and fungi, losing its beauty...
For this reason they are caught with the mollusc inside.
The example of the giant newt
The giant newt, a mollusk that has one of the most sought-after and fished shells in the world, is one of the few voracious predators of the crown-of-thorns starfish, which eat coral at astonishing speeds, destroying meters and square meters per year.
By reducing the predators of these stars, we risk making them proliferate excessively and therefore causing excessive predation of the coral reef.
From the series… For every action there is always a reaction!
The infamous fines
Nowadays, in many places in the world, very high fines are imposed for those found in possession of shells or corals.
I hate the idea of “having to threaten” with a fine to save a heritage that belongs to everyone, and yet every year tons and tons of shells are seized all over the world. Without going too far, in Sardinia alone, every summer a few tons of shells seized at the Cagliari airport are thrown back into the sea.
Awareness
To my great joy, when I explain the problem regarding the collection of corals and shells, 80% of my interlocutors throw the shell back into the sea.
Another great achievement is to actually ask yourself if you can take it and bring it home.
This didn't happen a few years ago!
As always, it all boils down to our choice: we wait a year to go on holiday and perhaps a lifetime to go to magical and much-desired places that are beautiful to experience and remember just as we found them. It's not by taking a shell or a piece of coral that we'll feel closer to our wonderful holidays, but it will be a beautiful photograph of the landscape, of an excursion, of the local people that will make us relive those wonderful emotions.
I know that we've always taken "a souvenir" from the beach, whether it's sand, shells or coral; but now it's no longer sustainable, let's change our habits and you'll see that you'll certainly feel better and more satisfied for having helped the marine world!
Discover other tips for living in harmony with the coral reef.
After all, let's not forget that the sea needs us, yes, even you!