Do you collect shells from the beach

[Beachcomber24]

Just wondering if many people still love collecting shells from the beach. I've loved collecting & crafting with shells. I've seen a lot of shell crafts for sale in seaside resorts over the years.
I've just read it's illegal & I hadn't thought of the environmental damage it does to the beach if everyone did it.

I do occasionally. Only one or two not loads though. Apparently it's actually illegal although I've never heard of anyone being prosecuted for it.

Guy Finds Hermit Crabs Living In Plastic And Offers Them New Shells

There are never any good ones, probably all picked up.

We collect shells from every beach we visit, no idea it was illegal though.

Not shells but the occasional bit of sea glass. I assume that's ok.

Depends on the shell, hermit crab type ones no, open bi valve ones sure. I mean we don't take enough home for art projects or commercial stuff you see.

I'm more into sea glass

Another one here who didn't realise it was illegal, although I doubt that with the state of the country as it is, anyone would be prepared to spend money on prosecuting you, just for picking up a few shells.

I see people disappearing with bootfuls of stones from our local beach. It's actually a built-up shingle bank to prevent flooding...

I used to, until I heard about the negative impact of it. Now I live by the Leave No Trace mantra

I live in a seaside resort and those shell craft gifts are hideous.
Stuck together with permanent glue, bits of plastic and googly eyes stuck on, or fashioned into cheap looking 70's style plant holder nets or glued onto picture frames.

Leave them on the beach please, they look much nicer there and will eventually grind down and be compressed over millions of years back into rock.
In the meantime children can decorate sand sculptures with them and let the tide reclaim them.

The hideous 'gifts' will just end up in landfill eventually, glue, plastic and all the chemicals they're stuck together and varnished with.

Had no idea that it's illegal, my 10 year old just brought home a bag of shells she collected on the beach in Spain and she does the same here as well!!

Never any good ones tbh otherwise I wouldn’t see the harm in taking one. Not like those stools selling them by the boot load mind.

Reason the law probably exists is to the greedy people taking loads and loads rather than one or two as a “from my visit to X place”

what’s the law on sea glass since technically the glass was dumped as rubbish so in theory your litter picking 😅

Sometimes dc will take 1 or 2 pretty ones as a memento, but not hermit type ones, we leave those. Certainly don't take loads. Never thought about it as illegal before...

No, but we are naughty and we do steal a very small ikea freezer bag (not full) of sand.

We live by the beach and ds picks up the odd interesting one, not for Etsy crafts, they live in his sand table in the garden. I'd never let him take loads.

We do but we have a rule that we can only take one home so pick our favourite

I absolutely love beach combing and do it and every opportunity. I have 3 massive vases full of shells that I've collected over a life time, my kids love to get involved too. I think it's my most favourite thing to do.

Didn’t know it was illegal, but yeah 1 or 2, wouldn’t take loads. Same with little stones. Mind you, last weekend saw a lady with her 2 grandchildren struggling under the weight of the stones etc they’d collected (3 carrier bags each) and that pissed me off. I was always led to believe it was cheeky/bad for the environment rather than against the law. A big bugbear of mine is people picking/letting their children pick flowers in the park or wherever. I mean daffodils and stuff not daisies.

I moved to a seaside town a few years ago and did collect some shells to put into a vase- then read it was illegal! 😬

I found a box of sea glass at the property and have recently seen some lovely sea glass art that I shall my hand at. Maybe that is another option rather than collecting shells.

I haven't taken masses of them & no hermit crab ones. It's mainly cockle shells for my own use; but I think I have enough now.

I used to pick up shells as a child and hadn't thought about it being illegal. Despite the fact that we used to pick wild flowers as well and I wouldn't do that now.

I'm a leave no trace in the countryside but pick up a shell from every beach trip I take. I remember being taught at school about the countryside (don't pick bluebells/snowdrops/random mushrooms and flowers, shut any gate you open, don't litter) water safety and general be kind to the countryside. I don't remember my children ever having these lessons at school, why is that? (I do pass this knowledge on but not every family does so if the local park is anything to go by).

What is the environmental impact/issue? Will Google now as well !

I didn't know it was illegal. I don't but I've let DC take one or two home, not more than that though. Eldest (7) is hopeful of finding a shell with a pearl inside. I was thinking of buying one and planting it for her to find but not sure if I should or not!