Bringing shells home from the beach? Here's what to know about Florida's harvest laws
MIAMI, Fla. - A Customs and Border Patrol Agriculture K9 intercepted restricted seashells and coral from the Bahamas, prompting officials to remind beachgoers of strict harvest laws.
Restricted conch shells intercepted from Bahamas
What we know:
A K9 with the Customs and Border Patrol Miami and Tampa Field Office recently intercepted restricted conch shells, corals and seashells brought in from the Bahamas. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regulates these wildlife imports, and certain items are protected under international agreements.
Restricted species and locations
What we don't know:
Officials have not specified the total financial penalty or exact number of travelers cited during the recent airport interceptions.
Collecting shells in Florida
Collecting shells containing living organisms requires a Florida recreational saltwater fishing license, even when gathering from the shore. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, live oysters, hard clams and mussels can only be harvested from designated, open shellfish areas.
In Florida, FWC says it’s completely legal to keep a queen conch shell as long as it’s already empty when you find it.
Here is what you need to know to stay on the right side of the law:
No live harvesting:
You cannot kill, injure, or pull a living conch out of its shell to keep the shell or eat the meat.
No conch meat:
Taking or possessing queen conch meat is strictly illegal.
Watch for altered shells:
You cannot possess a queen conch shell if it has a hole larger than 1/16 of an inch punched into its spire (the pointed top section). Poachers often poke a hole here to slice the muscle and pull the living animal out, so having a shell with this specific hole is treated as proof of illegal harvesting.
If you find a shell washed up on the beach that is already completely empty and free of modifications, you are free to take it home.
Taking Bahama starfish or live queen conch remains illegal statewide at all times.
Local harvest limits
By the numbers:
Local harvest limits also vary depending on the location. In Lee County, taking live shells is illegal except for specific clams and oysters. Manatee County limits harvesters to two live shells per species daily.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from Customs and Border Protection Miami and Tampa Field Offices, which reported the shell interceptions, as well as Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission harvesting guidelines.