. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. takes a boat out in the sound and rakes or pulls a hand seine through the shallow water. If you'd rather somebody else do the work, ask a fisherman to search his nets. That's how Carolyn Smith found her 5-inch Northern moon snail shell, a world record. Or try snorkeling or diving. Going under- water is the best way to find big shells in good condition. But not many collectors are willing to go to such depths in North Carolina, says Tom Van Landingham, president of the Shell Club. "If you want to find
. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. takes a boat out in the sound and rakes or pulls a hand seine through the shallow water. If you'd rather somebody else do the work, ask a fisherman to search his nets. That's how Carolyn Smith found her 5-inch Northern moon snail shell, a world record. Or try snorkeling or diving. Going under- water is the best way to find big shells in good condition. But not many collectors are willing to go to such depths in North Carolina, says Tom Van Landingham, president of the Shell Club. "If you want to find the live shells, you've got to go in the muck," Smith says. It's not unusual to have to crawl in the mud, wade through the tide or snake among the grasses to find that perfect shell. In the bays and sounds, you'll find more shells in the morning or late afternoon because moUusks don't like the hot, drying sun. Smith says. Or go out at night, when species such as whelks stalk their prey. Then seek the hidden clues. In the mud flats, look for trails. Moon snails and olives, bury in the mud and leave their Photo by Scott Taylor "footprints" in the form of tiny tunnels. Two holes in the mud mean a bivalve is buried beneath the surface. Follow the holes with your fingers to find a clam or scallop. Whelks make a big lump in the sand. A tiny tip of the shell may stick out and give you a clue to its whereabouts. Peer under rocks on the jetties where mol- lusks sometimes attach. Or comb through an oyster bed to find feeding mollusks such as the tulip. An abundance of tiny shells like periwinkles and dove shells cling to the grasses in the marsh. To make them even harder to find, most shells are camouflaged with algae, mud, bar- nacles or sponges. So why go to all this trouble? Live shells are more desirable from a collec- tor's standpoint. Smith says. They're new and fresh, and are usually not nicked or broken. Smith, as most collectors, realizes that taking live specimen
Size: 1837px × 1360px
Photo credit: © The Book Worm / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookcollectionunclibra, booksubjectoceanography
