After researching numerous customs sites, blogs and other relevant sites pertaining to whether one can take back shells from Sint Maarten to the USA, I am still confused. Is there a forum discussion here on TTOL that I can look at or does anyone have an answer based on their research or personal experience?

Some people will bring them back. Some people will encounter problems and others will not. Use common sense and you should be ok but this topic could easily turn controversial.

I am pretty sure we have a few shells from SXM here now.

Us, too, over all these years.

I've never found (probably because I've never really looked....) a definitive answer to this question in print, but about fifteen years ago we attended an evening seminar at Mahoe Campground on St. John, and they told us we definitely should NOT remove seashells from the beach as they do recycle back into the sand and natural environment. The rational being if every visitor to the beach brought back just a couple, it would impact the natural seaside environment. I don't know much about this but it sounds reasonable to me....... <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

How about "sea glass"? I guess "recycling" trash (broken beer, soda, etc. bottles) is different? I have no idea on either one but I know a lot of shells and sea glass find their way to various places and it is not by nature.

No answer or guess in that one. I guess they didn't feel it had environmental ramifications. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Aren't the beaches on St. Johns considered nature preserves? That could make a difference.
A few years back I brought home a big bag of shells from Shell Beach on St. Barts. I now have a great shell filled lamp in my Lewes, De. home. I look at it and remember.
Just make sure you clean them well. I suggest using Clorox.

Hey Lee Lee, do you still own the place we visited on the beach, years ago??? Great place!!!

Agree. I don't want to make it a long discussion. Thanks for all the responses.

From the Customs and Border Protection website.

Aren't there stores on St. Martin that sell souvenir bags of shells to take home with you. I have plenty of shells from just about all the islands in the Caribbean. All except St. John's since when I left Trunk Bay, the security guard examined my bag and took the shells I had. It is a US nature preserve as someone else said and it is illegal to remove anything from a nature preserve.

I look to the Nature Foundation for my guidance on the question. CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is the big issue. I'm not aware of any CITES issues with small shells. Conch shells are a problem, as well as coral.

http://www.naturefoundationsxm.org/projects_programs/CITES.htm

It is a hit and miss affair for me. We got conch shells in VX - Margarita island - no problem bringing them back - in STT, I had two and they would not let me bring them in. They kept them. I regularly bring back a few small bags of small shells from AXA, no questions, I had one big conch shell last year and they let me keep it. I hope when I unpack at home that they are there, but if they are not, I will try again next year. There are not that many big shells on the beaches of Anguilla, so anything is a real find.

I have personal experience with one item. About five years ago while snorkeling off of Orient Beach my friend Marge found a conch shell. She was so proud that she dove down for it that she wanted to take it home. Well, we only got as far as security and they confiscated it. I asked them why as it wasn't a living thing. The security person said that it could be used as a weapon. She then held it up and made a clubbing motion with it. Okay, one can never win with security. The conch shell was lost forever. Wayne <><

The US Virgin Islands is not on the list of Caribbean areas where you can bring back conch shells from. The full list is available from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Yes they are, and yes it does.

In the glass case of prohibited items, as you are about to enter the first checkpoint (before the escalator) you will see conch shells. You are not supposed to bring them onboard. The US doesn't care-SXM does.

its not for any other reason than it is a safety issue as it can be used as a weapon. Has nothing to do with SXM not wanting you to take them. Same as the glass case in your airport at home, they have all sorts of random things they dont want taken on board

In the states it's a TSA issue. In other countries its a security issue.

Put them in checked bags...

We now have an answer, based on this story , you must have a special permit to remove conch shells from SXM. You can't even have them in your checked luggage without the permit.

We bring small amount of shells back regularly, about every six months. This includes sea glass. The only thing you can not have in carry on is a conch shell. We had one confiscated on our second trip leaving SXM. They said we should have put it in our checked bags. In to the US there are no problems unless you are trying to bring in live sea products.

Hope this helps!

Joe & Lori

What I've previously understood, and had confirmed from this thread, is that small sea shells and sea glass are not a problem.

However, Conch shells are a problem if SXM Security or US Customs becomes aware of them. They will be seized, based on CITES.