1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,480 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey 2 00:00:06,519 --> 00:00:10,240 Speaker 1: brain Stuff, Lauren bog Obam. Here, we humans tend to 3 00:00:10,360 --> 00:00:12,959 Speaker 1: enjoy the ocean, so it makes sense that we'd want 4 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:14,680 Speaker 1: to take a piece of at home with us. But 5 00:00:14,920 --> 00:00:18,200 Speaker 1: be warned, beachside souvenir hunting can land you in prison 6 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:22,240 Speaker 1: if you go overboard. Case in point, early in summer 7 00:00:22,239 --> 00:00:25,319 Speaker 1: of a Texas woman was find five hundred dollars and 8 00:00:25,320 --> 00:00:27,840 Speaker 1: sentenced to fifteen days in jail by a Florida judge 9 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:30,720 Speaker 1: for illegally harvesting forty queen conk shells on her Key 10 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:34,440 Speaker 1: West vacation. Queen counk's are marine snails who live in 11 00:00:34,479 --> 00:00:37,600 Speaker 1: gorgeous shells of their own making. Florida allows people to 12 00:00:37,640 --> 00:00:40,080 Speaker 1: collect the vacant shells, but it's illegal to take one 13 00:00:40,120 --> 00:00:42,920 Speaker 1: that's still occupied by a live conk. The shells that 14 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:47,120 Speaker 1: the aforementioned Texan took had living, breathing mollusks in them. 15 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:51,280 Speaker 1: Florida has a vested interest in these nautical treasures. On 16 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:54,279 Speaker 1: the shell loaded island of Santabelle, a barrier community near 17 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:57,880 Speaker 1: Fort Myers beachcombing is a major draw for tourists, and 18 00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:01,440 Speaker 1: when residents noticed their precious commodity were vanishing, they took action. 19 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:04,759 Speaker 1: In the late twentieth century, locals started worrying that out 20 00:01:04,760 --> 00:01:08,520 Speaker 1: of towners were pillaging too many shells. As a conservation measure, 21 00:01:08,640 --> 00:01:11,319 Speaker 1: Santabell banned the collection of any shells with their original 22 00:01:11,319 --> 00:01:15,120 Speaker 1: mollusks still living inside, as well as any sand dollars, starfish, 23 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:19,039 Speaker 1: and sea urchins. The band took effect in and has 24 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:23,240 Speaker 1: since been extended throughout Santabell's home county. If you've noticed 25 00:01:23,240 --> 00:01:25,640 Speaker 1: sea shell depletion on the beaches you visit, know that 26 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:29,240 Speaker 1: it's not just a matter of light fingered vacationers. Organized 27 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:32,880 Speaker 1: poaching has become a serious global concern. We spoke via 28 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:36,240 Speaker 1: email with Vincent Nyman, an anthropology professor at Oxford Brooks 29 00:01:36,319 --> 00:01:40,200 Speaker 1: University in the United Kingdom. In a study he co authored, 30 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:44,600 Speaker 1: Nyman documented the illegal trade of Indonesia's protected shells. The 31 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:47,560 Speaker 1: Indonesian government keeps a list of mollusks that are legal 32 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:51,760 Speaker 1: to trade or collect within the republic's jurisdiction. Chambered nautilus's, 33 00:01:51,800 --> 00:01:54,800 Speaker 1: triton's trumpets, and some giant clams are among the creatures 34 00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:59,400 Speaker 1: ostensibly protected by law. There Yet, poaching is rampant. Nyman's 35 00:01:59,440 --> 00:02:02,080 Speaker 1: paper tells of twenty illegal shipments that were intercepted by 36 00:02:02,080 --> 00:02:06,120 Speaker 1: the Indonesian authorities between two thousand eight and put together, 37 00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:09,000 Speaker 1: these busts yielded more than forty two thousand shells of 38 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:13,920 Speaker 1: protected species, valued at seven hundred thousand dollars. Niman said, 39 00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:16,440 Speaker 1: it's very important to note that we're not talking about 40 00:02:16,480 --> 00:02:19,200 Speaker 1: individual tourists collecting a couple of shells on the beach, 41 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:21,320 Speaker 1: putting them in their suit case in bringing them home. 42 00:02:21,880 --> 00:02:24,640 Speaker 1: We're talking about a large scale commercial trade where the 43 00:02:24,639 --> 00:02:28,240 Speaker 1: shells are collected by active fishing, scuba diving cages, et cetera, 44 00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:31,160 Speaker 1: and where entire sections of the ocean floor are emptied. 45 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:34,920 Speaker 1: He stresses the poachers like to grab occupied shells and 46 00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:37,959 Speaker 1: then destroy the animals within them. He explained that when 47 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:41,200 Speaker 1: the animals are alive, their shells are usually an excellent condition, 48 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:43,600 Speaker 1: as opposed to shells that have been discarded and washed 49 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:47,400 Speaker 1: up on the beach, which are often damaged. Mosques aren't 50 00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:49,240 Speaker 1: the only animals who have been hurt by the reckless 51 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:52,639 Speaker 1: over hunting of seashells. When stales, nautiluses and other sea 52 00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:55,680 Speaker 1: animals die of natural causes other creatures like to move 53 00:02:55,720 --> 00:02:59,639 Speaker 1: into their former shell homes. We also spoke via email 54 00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:02,880 Speaker 1: with my Koluski, an ecologist at the University of Florida. 55 00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:06,440 Speaker 1: He said the most obvious examples are hermit crabs, which 56 00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:09,520 Speaker 1: use empty shells as protective armor. There are, in fact, 57 00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:11,959 Speaker 1: many marine habitats where it's hard to find an empty 58 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:15,560 Speaker 1: shell because hermit crabs in habit almost all of them. 59 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:18,080 Speaker 1: When there aren't enough shells to go around, hermit crab 60 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:21,200 Speaker 1: populations are curved, and housing is just one service that 61 00:03:21,320 --> 00:03:24,600 Speaker 1: unused shells offer. Some sea creatures and birds eat them 62 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:28,080 Speaker 1: for mineral supplements like calcium carbonate. Others use the sturdy 63 00:03:28,080 --> 00:03:31,520 Speaker 1: shells as anchors from other mollusks to barnacles and many more. 64 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:34,760 Speaker 1: The harvest of these shells isn't just bad for the 65 00:03:34,800 --> 00:03:38,200 Speaker 1: local ecosystem, it's also bad for the environment and ultimately 66 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:41,600 Speaker 1: for the humans who live and visit there. Take Yarga Beach, 67 00:03:41,840 --> 00:03:45,440 Speaker 1: a lovely slice of the Iberian Peninsula loocated in Slow Spain. 68 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:49,520 Speaker 1: It's a hot vacation destination that's enjoyed increasing popularity. Wanting 69 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:51,600 Speaker 1: to know more about how this rise in human activity 70 00:03:51,640 --> 00:03:54,640 Speaker 1: was affecting the ecosystem, Koluski rolled up his sleeves and 71 00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:58,640 Speaker 1: hit the scene. From July nineteen seventy eight through July one, 72 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:01,520 Speaker 1: he and his colleagues put together monthly catalogs of all 73 00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:05,040 Speaker 1: the seashell material they could find on Yarga Beach. Kaluski 74 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:07,560 Speaker 1: returned decades later for a new round of surveys, beginning 75 00:04:07,560 --> 00:04:12,920 Speaker 1: in two thousand eight and ending his discoveries weren't encouraging tourism. 76 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:16,480 Speaker 1: Data revealed an almost threefold increase in visitation between nineteen 77 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:20,880 Speaker 1: During that same period, the number of seashells on Yarga 78 00:04:20,920 --> 00:04:26,520 Speaker 1: Beach fell by more than six coincidence probably not. Other 79 00:04:26,560 --> 00:04:28,839 Speaker 1: beach side communities should be worried about the same kind 80 00:04:28,880 --> 00:04:32,240 Speaker 1: of decline in seashells, and not just for environmental reasons. 81 00:04:32,680 --> 00:04:35,159 Speaker 1: Shells tend to break up into particles that are bigger 82 00:04:35,200 --> 00:04:38,800 Speaker 1: than typical sand grains. These shell fragments help beaches fight 83 00:04:38,839 --> 00:04:41,960 Speaker 1: erosion by locking up, making it harder for winds, waves, 84 00:04:41,960 --> 00:04:45,520 Speaker 1: and water currents to move shoreline sediment around. If we 85 00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:47,960 Speaker 1: remove too many seashells, it will become harder for our 86 00:04:47,960 --> 00:04:50,640 Speaker 1: beaches to resist the forces of erosion, and that could 87 00:04:50,640 --> 00:04:55,320 Speaker 1: affect shore side buildings, roads and other infrastructure. So what's 88 00:04:55,360 --> 00:04:59,200 Speaker 1: the solution? Nyman notes, in many countries there are excellent 89 00:04:59,279 --> 00:05:03,039 Speaker 1: laws in placed prevent over harvesting. Companies and individuals should 90 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:06,440 Speaker 1: follow the existing regulations and the authorities should enforce them. 91 00:05:06,480 --> 00:05:09,040 Speaker 1: It is an economic crime and should be handled as such. 92 00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:12,440 Speaker 1: He added, the prosecutors and judges must take large scale 93 00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:21,479 Speaker 1: poaching operations more seriously. Today's episode was written by Mark Mancini, 94 00:05:21,560 --> 00:05:24,240 Speaker 1: whose name I've been mispronouncing for about two years now, 95 00:05:24,400 --> 00:05:26,880 Speaker 1: and it was produced by Tyler Clang. Brain Stuff is 96 00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:29,120 Speaker 1: a production of iHeart Radio's How Stuff Works. For more 97 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:31,560 Speaker 1: in this and lots of other multidisciplinary topics, visit our 98 00:05:31,560 --> 00:05:34,040 Speaker 1: home planet, how stuff Works dot com. And for more 99 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:36,640 Speaker 1: podcasts for my heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, 100 00:05:36,760 --> 00:05:39,240 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.