Is It Legal to Collect Seashells in Florida?

Is It Legal to Collect Seashells in Florida?

View More ->

If you have a hobby of collecting seashells like me, you may ask “Is it legal to collect seashells in Florida?

There are many places I can collect seashells on Florida beaches.

The Gulf Coast is a good example.

Any day I go shell-hunting I will see different types of shells you have not seen before, notwithstanding it is the same beach.

Although there are some kinds of shells I am not allowed by law to collect, the law prohibits me from collecting live shells.

I am allowed to collect shells on public beaches, and shoreline areas in Florida, as long as they are not alive.

Is it legal to collect seashells in Florida?

Although the laws of

Florida

allow the recreational collection of seashells, some rules regulate it.

You are not authorized to collect living shells.

There are kinds of shells you cannot collect, and there are places you should not collect shells.

The only people authorized to sell live shells have valid commercial saltwater product licenses.

License Requirement:

If you want to collect live shells in Florida, you must get a recreational saltwater fishing license, even if you are collecting them at the seashore.

Is It Legal to Collect <a href=

State Regulations

The laws of Florida allow for the free collection of seashells on public beaches, and shoreline areas, but the shells must not be alive.

This same law applies to fishing starfish, sand dollars, and sea urchins in different places.

Drop every live shell you picked.

The seafood collection law is more strict in some parts of Florida than in others.

In certain places, you may be fined by local police if caught with a live seashell or any other live seafood, so the best thing to do is avoid picking them.

Wildlife protection advocates like the J.

N.

Darling National Wildlife Refuge in

Sanibel banned collecting all kinds of shells

.

Where you are not sure, ask the beach representative to know if collecting shells there is lawful.

Best Shelling Areas

Many places in Florida are known for shell collection, and there are good reasons for this.

You will see many of these places in the Sunshine state’s southwest and central Gulf Coast areas.

This is because many shells are not seen on beaches along the Atlantic.

Sanibel Island, one of the

Islands of Florida

is one of the most popular shelling locations in the world.

Sanibel Island draws in shells from Gulf and Caribbean regions.

There are more than 400 species of the shell that has so far been found on the beaches of

Sanibel Island

.

Another good place for shelling is

Captiva

Island, located north of Sanibel Island.

Other palaces are the state park beaches of Honeymoon Island and Anna Maria Island.

When to Look

If you want to find seashells, be on the beach at the right time.

When is the right time?

It is during low tide, mostly as soon as strong winds or storms are over, during low spring tides, at full or new moon.

Strong tides or gulf storms wash seashells up to the beach.

You may not be the only person that has come to collect seashells on the beach, so you should get there early.

I recommend that you find out the beach’s operating hours in advance so that you do not start beachcombing before the beach opens for business for the day.

Closed and Restricted Areas

You are not allowed by law to collect or have live shells in Lee County.

The sea foods that are lawful to collect, and have are oysters, hard clams (quahogs), sunray venus clams, and coquinas.

The laws of Manatee County do not allow you to collect or have more than two live shells of a particular specie.

This law includes echinoderms like sand dollars, and starfish, but excludes oysters, hard clams, sunray venus clams, and coquinas.

Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary forbids the collection of certain species of seashells at state or federal parks, national wildlife refuges, and portions.

The body allows the collection of certain species, but at a specific quantity.

Prohibited Species

You are not authorized to collect the

Bahama

Starfish, Oreaster reticulates.

You cannot have live Queen Conch or Strombus gigas at any time.

You are free to possess queen conch shells in Florida on certain conditions; the queen conch must not be alive at the time it was collected, and you did not kill, mutilate, or remove it from its shell by yourself.

You are not allowed to possess conch meat or a queen conch shell that has an off-center hole that is bigger than 1/16 inch in diameter through its spire.

Bag Limits

If you are collecting species regulated by the FWC, you must follow the rules regarding seasons, bag limits, and other regulations.

One of the rules is bay scallops, even if you are not collecting these species for eating.

Talking about the bag limit, no single person is allowed to collect more than 20 organisms in a day.

You are not allowed to collect more than five of any one specie in the 20-organism.

Between 100 pounds and 2 fish, whichever is greater is allowed for each person per day for unregulated species.

Collecting them requires a saltwater product license because any quantity above the approved limit is considered commercial.

FAQs

What shells are illegal to collect in Florida?

Do not forget that you must drop any live shell, sand dollar, starfish, or other kind of seafood you pick back into the sea.

It is against Florida’s laws to take live creatures away from their natural habitat, the beach.

The offense attracts a heavy fine.

Why are conch shells illegal?

The

state of Florida

made a law in the 1970s banning live queen conch collection because of over-fishing.

Presently,  it is an office to collect, kill or harm a live queen conch

anywhere in Florida

.

It is also an offense to possess or transport it, even when you got it from another state.

What is the Rarest Shell in Florida?

Scaphella Junonia is the most scarce shell in Junonia, but you can get it on

Sanibel Island

.

 

 

ABOUT ME

Born & raised amidst the gators and orange groves of Florida, I’ve waded through the Everglades and braved the dizzying heights of Orlando’s roller coasters.

About Us Jeff from TravelMagma

But FL is just the beginning of my adventures.

I’ve journeyed far and wide. Yet, it was the serene beauty of Japan that truly captured my heart.

I even wrote my own little
Caribbean Guide.

But…

My 2nd book “Things I Wish I Knew Before Going to Japan” became a bestseller, a guide filled with wisdom:

TravelMagma is where I tell the tales of the road, capture the essence of each destination, and inspire you to make your own footprints around the globe.

Follow me on FB!

Jeff