SHELL COLLECTING,1: What you need to know about shell 
collecting ... coming up ... on Passport to Texas.

This is Passport to Texas

Nobody thinks twice about collecting shells from the 
beach. But I started to wonder if it's really okay since 
beaches are public land.

08 -- It's okay to collect shells. The ones that are broken and 
come apart, they create the sand that's out there, but there is 
no law against it [collecting].

Paul Hammerschmidt is a lifelong shell collector, and 
former coastal fisheries biologist with TPW. He says 
collect responsibly to avoid creating problems for the 
environment or marine animals. 

05 -- I highly recommend that you only take shells that are from 
dead animals -- not live animals.

How can you determine if something is still alive? In the 
case of the popular sand dollar, small spines cover the 
shells of living animals ... so look for smooth, spineless 
shells. If, like me, you've never found a sand dollar on the 
beach -- there's good reason for it.

18 -- I think it's because everybody wants to get a sand dollar. 
And, too, they're another very fragile shell. And when the waves 
are strong, they'll get broken up, and you'll just see fragments 
of them. A lot of times, the best time to find a sand dollar, is 
after a storm -- and then very early in the morning -- before 
anybody else gets out on the beach.

When and where to go shelling on tomorrow's show. 

That's our show ... .Funding provided in part by Ram 
Trucks. Guts. Glory. Ram

For Texas Parks and Wildlife ... I'm Cecilia Nasti. 





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