How to Collect Seashells

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

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

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

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.