Sea Shelling do’s and dont’s

Reporter: Haley Zarcone Writer: Haley Zarcone
Published: Updated:
shelling do's and dont's
Shells along the shoreline of Blind Pass Beach on Sanibel Island.

As beachgoers start taking on the sand, it’s important to know what pieces of your trip to the shore you can and can’t take with you.

The city of Sanibel works with beach patrol to protect our shores’ living creatures.

shelling do's and dont's
A woman’s shell findings along a beach on Sanibel Island. She uses the tiller in the photo to sift through shells on the sand.

According to the Sanibel Shelling Regulations, there are a few things to be aware of when you go searching for sea shells.

Do:

  • Know what you’re taking if you are taking home a shell
  • Make sure there is nothing living inside your shell
  • Passively shell, taking shells that are on the surface of the shore is OK
  • Bring a bag to keep all your findings in

Don’t:

  • Take home a live organism
  • Take home a shell with an animal living inside it
  • Dig into the beach to find shells

Not only are the sea shells you can see on shore from Sanibel’s beaches various, but there are hundreds of species on the island.

The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum has educated those on Sanibel Island for decades on our beaches’ sea shells. José Leal is the museum’s science director and curator. He said the island has hundreds of species to explore and protect.

“They are a very diverse group of animals. They’re literally thousands and thousands of species in this country here on Sanibel, just the shallow water species we have in our shell that I believe have a history and worth about 410 species of shallow water just on Sanibel,” Leal said.

shelling do's and dont's
Blind Pass beach as birds sit perched along the shoreline.

What’s living and what’s not?

The City of Sanibel works with beach patrol to protect our shores’ living creatures.

Joel Caouette is an Environmental Biologist for the city of Sanibel.

Caouette explains what is living as a “shell with a live tissue.” These living shells and organisms are off-limits when it comes to shelling.

This includes sea urchins, starfish and sanddollars.

“Snails, they build the shells with this shell material, and then they have live tissue in there. Anything like a hermit crab, anything like that, would be prohibited to take,” Caouette said.

The City of Sanibel said taking a live organism could land you in jail for 60 days or have you ticketed for a $500 fine.

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