I spent Sunday morning walking around in various stores and malls on Maui just to get an idea of what is still around for Christmas after the infamous Black Friday had passed.
While browsing through a few stores that cater to the tourists, it struck me just how many different products they carry with seashells in, on or made completely from shells. I couldn't help wondering "Where all these shells come from?" I wondered how many people depend on gathering them or making them into gifts as part or all of their income.
This then made me think about just how many are gathered before they have died and wash up on the beaches naturally. I really can't imagine that there are so many just lying around waiting to be gathered up.
This brings me to another question. Is this significantly impacting the ocean, reef and it's inhabitants?
I haven't come across any articles and a quick search on the internet just came up with more gifts. After learning about the loss of reef fish to aquariums and the impact of feeding them, I am now wondering just how many seashells are left on the seashore.
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