Shells of South
East Queensland

The objects of the Brisbane Shell Club Inc. are to:

• promote interest in and appreciation of all aspects of molluscs, shells and their habitats;
• promote responsible mollusc and shell collecting; and
• stimulate an exchange of knowledge, information and specimens.

Members of the club will use good environmental practices when observing and/or collecting specimens and will comply with:

• the club’s code of ethics for collecting;
• State (including Queensland Fisheries);
• Federal (including Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority); and
• international (including CITES) laws and regulations regarding the collection of specimens.;

Introduction Molluscs and shells are part of the natural wildlife and need the conscientious effort by people to preserve them as a living resource. Members of Brisbane Shell Club Inc. will practice the following guidelines for behaviour when collecting:

• At all times abide by State (including Queensland Fisheries), national (including Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority), and international (including CITES) laws and regulations governing teh collection of specimens;
• Access to and permissible activities in mollusc and shell collecting sites and locations, and specimens that are permitted or prohibited from being collected;
• Limitations on the number of specimens that can be collected; and
• Obtaining relevant permits from authorities as required.

• Do not disturb or collect molluscs or shells sitting in eggs or otherwise engaged in breeding aggregations or other reproductive behaviours;
• Do not collect live mollusc eggs or egg cases;
• Do not collect molluscs or shells that are juvenile, damaged or in bad condition; and
• Do inspect specimens before leaving the collecting site and return those not ‘up to par’ to their original habitat as soon as possible.

• Use good environmental practices and observe protection of habitat guidelines, carefully replacing into its original position any log, rock, coral slab or boulder, or any other item immediately after inspecting the underside for molluscs and shells; and
• If using a shell dredge that complies with relevant regulations and permits, do so in a limited basis and only in suitable dredging ground.

Sharing of information and knowledge of molluscs and shells and their habitat is encouraged.
For example this may be through:

• photography of live molluscs in their natural habitat, shells and shell collections;
• writing stories and articles for the club's newsletter; and
• making educational presentations to other groups a requested.