How to Collect Seashells

Seashells, also known by biologists as the exoskeletons of critters in the phylum Mollusca, are popular for collectors.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Sporty Hats
• Sun Hats
• Sun Visors
• Peterson Field Guide To Shells
• Sunscreen
• Plastic Storage Bags
• Camera Accessories
• Cameras
• Disposable Cameras
• Underwater Camera Housing
• Waterproof Camera
• Golf Hats
• Screen Wire
• Cameras

1. Get more out of your collecting by learning what animals lived in the shells you pick up.

2. Look for bubbling holes in the wet sand. This indicates mollusk burrows, which means there should be abandoned shells nearby.

3. Check out the rules concerning shell collecting in the areas that you are interested in. Some places don't allow collecting or allow it only during certain times of year. Some require permits. The local park service is a good place to start looking for information.

4. Use a piece of screen stretched onto a wooden frame to sieve out the sand. (Be sure to use a type of screen that won't degrade from the water - brass is good.)

5. Put things back if you move them. Rocks and driftwood may reveal a great find, but remember those places are also likely somebody's home.

6. Handle starfish and sand dollars (phylum Echinodermata) carefully - they're very delicate.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't limit yourself to sandy beaches, particularly ones with hard surf, which aren't good habitats for shell dwellers. You can find shells in mud flats and reef areas as well.
• Walking a beach after a storm is a good way to find empty seashells that have been washed ashore.
• Be careful. Don't get so wrapped up in your hunting that you lose track of time, the tides and your sunscreen.
• Some areas prohibit the collection of all seashells.

on 11/22/2005 Leaving shells where you find them after enjoying them is best. Shells are part of the eco-system of the environment they are in and should be left there to disintegrate. Think, "Circle of Life." Everything contributes.

on 11/22/2005 I find to remember the experience. We clean the shells and then make frames, mirrors, my 6-year paints some, etc. I have a basket on our patio of our most precious shells for all to enjoy. When we have a party, I use the "shell basket" as a centerpiece.

on 11/22/2005 When we go to the beach for any reason, we take along an extra plastic bag, the kind you get at the grocery store (stuff it in a pocket). We pick up glass, plastic, whatever we come across. It's easy and when even 10% of us do this, we've a better beach.

on 11/22/2005 Just returned from Sanibel - shell paradise. The #1 learning was to just have fun! We read up about the shells first and this was a great teaching tool for the kids. We knew which shells were rare and which weren't. However, it came down to having fun.