by James Johnson

Created on: February 15, 2010

There is the old tongue twister/rhyme of "She sells seashells by the sea shore, I wonder how much she sells seashells for".  The question becomes arbitrary if you can't take the seashells home, and in modern times that can be a problem if you are returning from the Caribbean!  The Caribbean shells are beautiful, but they can be expensive, especially if they are the wrong type!  Wrong type of seashell?  Some are from endangered species and need permits to be transported across international lines!

The Queen Conch, Strombus gigas, is protected under the terms set at the Conference in International trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and, while it is still common in many places in the Caribbean it is protected around much of the world.  This means you need to get a permit for those big, beautiful, pink shells with the large flange.  If you don't have the paperwork, in some countries the fine can be several thousand dollars, and they keep the shell!  If you are in the Caribbean, ask the customs person at the airport before packing this shell.

But there are lots of other shells in the Caribbean, and most can be taken back to your home country with little problems, just a bit of thought and planning!  One thing that you need to realize is that shells are very dense and cannot be seen through, this means that with terrorist security just packing them in the luggage might not be the best idea.  Security will wonder about all those strange, dense shapes and open the bags.  So put them in your carry on and display them to the officers.  Doing it this way saves time, concerns, and helps you to identify any that might be protected. 

Coral looks wonderful and has some bizarre shapes, but it does not count as a seashell, and coral is protected all over the world!  You cannot remove coral even with a permit, unless it is a research permit and those are rare to get!  Sea Fans are soft coral and protected as well.  Leave all the coral behind because if it is mixed with the shells, they will just confiscate everything!

When collecting even little seashells to take back, make sure that they are empty,  Lots of little creatures live in the seashells and you do not want to kill them.  If they are there, they can come out, destroy your belongings before they die, and then smell up everything.  Rotted crab smell is almost as bad as skunk!

Basic tips summarized as follows: Don't take endangered species (these can be looked up on the Internet), no coral, let customs see what you have, and please check for living creatures!

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