Going To The Beach? It’s Best You Leave The Seashells There

Everyone likes to spend time differently at the sea, some like to lie down and sunbathe and some like to play with a ball. Some enjoy swimming in the sea and others enjoy collecting oyster shells. Spending time at the beach also reduces stress. There is so much to do at the beach and so many ways to enjoy the time there, so it’s time to stop collecting oyster shells because doing so harms our environment.

What are oyster shells used for?

The oyster shells were not intended to be used as jewelry or as decorative accessories. They are actually the remains of a dead animal. There is a wide variety of mollusks that use oyster and other shells as a type of armor and as a house such as: octopuses, crabs, squid, snails and even worms. Even after the mollusk attached to the oyster shell has died, there are still other shellfish that can make use of the same shell.

For those who do not know, mollusks are invertebrates with soft bodies which protect themselves with the help of oyster shells or other conches.

Mollusks play an integral part in the marine ecosystem. As I have mentioned before, without a functioning marine ecosystem, life on land would not be possible. We rely on each other for basic living conditions (oxygen, clean water and fertile soil) so we need a proper ecological balance.

Seashells play another role in the ecological balance.

Apart from their use as a shield for mollusks, these shells and others erode and crumble over time. When they disintegrate, the main material from which they are made returns to the sea water and is re-assimilated by the marine animals, which helps them in building their skeleton. In addition the crumbs of oyster shells together with crumbling stones form the sea sand.

As you can see, seashells have a more important use at the beach than at home. Of course you can continue to admire the shapes and colors of shells on the shores of the coast. However if you still feel a strong need to walk on the beach and collect treasures or you think this is the perfect solution to keep your kids busy, why not take a walk with a huge bag and collect the garbage that does not belong there and only harms us and our environment? Thus doing you will create a positive environmental change with a very similar action. Another action that will help create a positive environmental change is to explain to your child and those around you why it is not possible to take the oyster shells home with you and encourage garbage collection instead.

More on this topic: Where does all the plastic go?