We all know having a beach house in a calm serene and coast place will give you the need of those tropical and beachy decorations with white walls, fresh outside furniture looking at the sea, big windows to have a better view, use of blues and greys since it makes it look similar to the colors of waves, and have somewhere in your house at San Carlos, shells in a vase or around the center pieces. Well, despite working to support that beach vibe, we have better reasons for you to stop collecting them from the shores.
Seashells are a relevant piece of the ocean; they influence the thermal regulation of the water and help in other ecological factors. We will list at least five reasons to explain why despite being a treasure to keep, seashells should not be taken from San Carlos beaches or any beach you might find them:
1.- Some of the seashells can be found at the shore but the waves return them back to the sea, in there they create firm surface for algae to adhere to, this increases food banks for fishes and they serve to grow seagrasses.
2.-Seashells function as houses for some sea animals like the hermit crab; these crustaceans have in common the use of snail shells to cover their abdomen, which is softer than other crabs; this is why is relevant for them to use shells to cover.
Most of the seashells you might know are part of a wider classification of animals called “mollusks.” Clams, mussels and the triton or trumpet shell are just some of the invertebrates that belong to that segment.
3.- Since they offer a home and shelter for some sea animals, they also offer protection, small fishes use shells to hide from other sea creatures that want to eat them. Without any hiding place they are more vulnerable to predators and for the same reason they will migrate to another place.
4.- Calcium carbonate is used by clams, oysters, mussels and needed to develop their shells and they get this from previous dead shells that erode over time. What happens is that the decrease in shells on the beaches limits the new mollusks or gastropods to develop their shells.
5.- Despite looking beautiful, seashells look prettier where they belong, have you notice you barely find them anymore? This correlates to point #4, overtime if the seashells remains begin to decrease, their own procreation also decreases.
If we stop picking them and admire them with a picture, we might be on time to see beaches fuller with them.