Sea shells

[lady red head]

Can we bring home shells from Caribbean islands?

[Shmoo here]

Can we bring home shells from Caribbean islands?

Generally, only processed, for sale in gift shop ones.

 

Picking up a shell on a beach and bringing it home could bring unwanted pests into your home. And the smell never comes out of your suitcase for the rotting stuff inside that's not been properly cleaned/sanitized.

[lynncarol]

Just make sure there is no 'critter' housed inside the shell or the smell will eventually overwhelm you. Having grown up near the beach in N.C. I have an entire room devoted to fossilized sharks teeth, sea glass, rocks and shells (found uninhabited) on beaches all over the world. In my earlier years, I would head straight to the 'something to declare' customs line with my treasures (mainly because those lines were always shorter). Never once was I told the shells were 'forbidden'.

The exception: It is against the law to take antiquities or anything out of a country's National Park, or a UNESCO or National Heritage Site.

[shipgeeks]

On the lines we've sailed, there is usually a notice in the daily planner stating that shells, sand, etc. are not allowed to be brought back from ports.

[martincath]

Just make sure there is no 'critter' housed inside the shell or the smell will eventually overwhelm you. Having grown up near the beach in N.C. I have an entire room devoted to fossilized sharks teeth, sea glass, rocks and shells (found uninhabited) on beaches all over the world. In my earlier years, I would head straight to the 'something to declare' customs line with my treasures (mainly because those lines were always shorter). Never once was I told the shells were 'forbidden'.

The exception: It is against the law to take antiquities or anything out of a country's National Park, or a UNESCO or National Heritage Site.

The problem with this is that just because you bringing a shell into the US wasn't illegal in no way addresses whether it was legal to remove it from the beach you found it on!

Crossing into your home country mostly all Customs care about is contamination - is this thing clean, soil-free, could it be harbouring some new beastie that will impact our ecosystem? - unless it's an item with inherent value or there's an international treaty involved, like CITES for endangered animal & parts thereof.

 

 

You're right that National Parks and similar are usually specifically-protected, but every country has different laws (some surprisingly strict about surprising things) and many of the touristy, islandy places in my experience have VERY stringent laws about taking plants, shells, even beach sand or rocks - I used to import plants and the cost of licensing to be allowed to remove them from some jurisdictions (even for a research university) was huge!

 

 

Personally I always assume that I cannot take anything natural from a country until I've checked their laws do allow it - beach glass, bottles and other originally manmade/trash items are almost always fine & dandy (you're helping clean the beach!) but many jurisdictions seem to have baseline thinking along the lines of 'if every visitor took one pebble or a handful of sand our beaches would shrink and tourism would be less popular!'

[cb at sea]

Most countries don't allow part of their country to be removed from it's shores. Can you imagine if EVERYONE took part of an ecosystem home with them?

If you want a shell, buy it in a gift store. Don't take sand or shells, or rocks off the island they are on.

[BeagleOne]

Most countries don't allow part of their country to be removed from it's shores. Can you imagine if EVERYONE took part of an ecosystem home with them?

If you want a shell, buy it in a gift store. Don't take sand or shells, or rocks off the island they are on.

 

The shell leaves its environment and the country no matter who picks it up. It does the same damage to the ecosystem.

[lenquixote66]

Can we bring home shells from Caribbean islands?

 

 

I buy my shells

[spookwife]

only once they are processed/sanitized. in other words, only if bought from a tourist trap.

[OCruisers]

Generally, only processed, for sale in gift shop ones.

 

Picking up a shell on a beach and bringing it home could bring unwanted pests into your home. And the smell never comes out of your suitcase for the rotting stuff inside that's not been properly cleaned/sanitized.

 

The ones for sale in gift shops are the best choice by far! (y)

[navybankerteacher]

 

...

 

Personally I always assume that I cannot take anything natural from a country until I've checked their laws do allow it - beach glass, bottles and other originally manmade/trash items are almost always fine & dandy (you're helping clean the beach!) but many jurisdictions seem to have baseline thinking along the lines of 'if every visitor took one pebble or a handful of sand our beaches would shrink and tourism would be less popular!'

 

Don't take beach glass from Bermuda beaches - they value those "manmade/trash items", and specifically warn you against taking them. I am sure they would be OK with you picking up real trash like paper cups, sandwich wrappers, etc.

[NLH Arizona]

Take only memories, leave only footprints.

[martincath]

Don't take beach glass from Bermuda beaches - they value those "manmade/trash items", and specifically warn you against taking them. I am sure they would be OK with you picking up real trash like paper cups, sandwich wrappers, etc.

Hence 'almost always' since I'm not familiar with the laws of every nation on this topic - now I know Bermuda is also picky about beach glass, so thanks!

[spookwife]

Hence 'almost always' since I'm not familiar with the laws of every nation on this topic - now I know Bermuda is also picky about beach glass, so thanks!

 

 

however you can certainly buy a multitude of baubles and bling made from beach glass. some of the local artists are quite talented

[Krazy Kruizers]

They may look nice on the sand when you find them, but I certainly wouldn't bring any home not knowing what is inside them.

Many gift shops sell sea shells that are very nice.

[lynncarol]

My problem with gift-store shells is that they are harvested from the ocean floor with the live animals still in them. (I know this for a fact, as I once inquired about their source). Shells washed up empty on the beach are a different story, and yes, I do check with locals before gathering any off their shoreline.

[beachbum53]

The ones for sale in gift shops are the best choice by far! (y)

 

Unfortunately, most, if not all of the shells sold in the gift shops are not from the place you're visiting. They're typically harvested somewhere else, such as China, Mexico, etc. then polished up and put out for sale. I've also seen some that made me wonder if they were real or man made in a factory somewhere.

[gooch47]

LOL, I once heard that the best place to find Florida seashells was at the first rest stop in Georgia. That was where they started to smell so bad the tourists had to dump them.

[navybankerteacher]

The fascination with shells is something big here: we are staying on Sanibel Island for our annual escape -- there are always crowds in the evening (as we observe sunset, wine in hand) doing the "Sanibel Stoop" as they walk the beach carrying bags of shells - presumably to bring home.

[lynncarol]

My brother-in-law's mother lived near Sanibel for many years. She filled a number of glass lamps with the shells she found. I know for a fact that they still had live mollusks in them when harvested as she bragged about how she was able to kill them and clean up the shells. This type of behavior is not at all good for the environment which is why there are now far fewer types of shells in Sanibel then when we used to go there 55 years ago. However, I reiterate, collecting a few empty shells on a beach does not have the same impact.