February 8, 2002
LEE ISLAND
COAST, FL – To ensure that all species are protected for future
generations to enjoy, southwest Florida’s Lee County recently enacted its most
innovative and far-reaching legislation to date. As of March 1, a new
ordinance prohibits beachcombers throughout the coastal county from keeping any
shells containing live creatures. It is the first ordinance of its kind in
Florida, further underscoring Lee County’s reputation as a leader in
environmental protection.
Each year, eco-tourists and shell collectors
worldwide are lured by the beauty of the Lee Island Coast, where many of
nature’s treasures are free for the taking. With more than 100 coastal islands
and 50 miles of shoreline, Lee County features breathtaking beaches yielding
hundreds of species of seashells, ranging from exotic cowries to the common
clam.
In addition to internationally-known shelling
destinations such as Sanibel and Captiva islands, the coast includes the islands
of North Captiva, Cayo Costa, Estero/Fort Myers Beach, Boca Grande on Gasparilla,
and Cabbage Key, among others. There, avid shellers can be seen from sunrise to
sunset searching the sands in hopes of spotting coquinas, olives and sand
dollars, as well as tulips, whelks and highly-prized varieties such as the
brown-speckled junonia.
The move to ban live shelling has been underway
along the Lee Island Coast for many years. In 1987, Sanibel Island led area
efforts to limit collections to two per day. In 1993, Lee County also received
permission from state officials to adopt the same bag limit. By 1995, Sanibel
enacted a total ban on collecting live shells, with Fort Myers
Beach
following suit five years later.
Conservationists
and tourism officials agree that the uniform policy should help eliminate
confusion concerning shell-gathering guidelines. The new rules are simple: if
the shell is not “empty,” it must be thrown back/left behind. Otherwise,
collectors may take as many dead, or uninhabited, shells as they wish.
Despite the ban, shelling enthusiasts can expect to
find as many — if not more — shells than ever before, since the majority
that wash ashore are uninhabited. According to local shelling guides, it’s
possible to find as many as 60 different kinds of seashells on any given day.
That’s because with no offshore reefs, the warm and shallow Gulf of Mexico is
something of a seashell incubator. Further, thanks to the Lee Island Coast’s
ideal location, specimens that wash up are likely to be in excellent condition.
Although peak shelling season is May through
September, winter storms have been known to push large numbers of shells ashore
in December and January. But as many avid collectors will attest, shelling knows
no season.
As a result, shell collecting has become a popular
year-round pastime among visitors and residents alike. So popular, in fact, that
the terms “Sanibel Stoop” and “Captiva Crouch” have been coined to
describe the bent-over posture of barrier-island beachcombers searching for
prized collectibles.
Another abundant source of shells is the
Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum on Sanibel. Thought to be the only museum in North
America dedicated exclusively to seashells, the facility features numerous
educational exhibits and boasts rare specimens from around the world. There are
also experts on hand to provide information and answer questions. There’s even
a gift shop for those who don’t wish to dig for their souvenirs from the sea.
For more information about shelling, guided tours,
and other attractions and activities along the Lee Island Coast, call the
Visitor & Convention Bureau at 888-231-6933 or visit our Web site: www.LeeIslandCoast.com .