Everyone wants to bring home the perfect souvenir from their vacation to the USVI. And oftentimes that search leads people to collect shells and coral from our beaches. However, the National Park is very strict about what is taken from our islands. The Indigenous Species Act of 1990 prohibits the taking, catching, possessing, injuring, harassing, or killing of any indigenous species. The National Park extends this law to non-living items such as sand, seeds, plant clippings, and empty shells. Any prohibited items that are found in your luggage will be confiscated at customs. If you buy a shell from a gift shop, keep your receipt with the purchased shells in your luggage. Usually store bought-shells are distinguishable enough without a receipt, as they will be coated in shellac or have a design painted on them, but keep the receipt anyway to avoid any problems.

You can still go shell collecting. Just leave them on the beach.

Even though taking a few shells might seem harmless, it adds up when hundreds and thousands of people do it each year. Sea shells, coral, sea fans and sand dollars grind down over time giving our beaches the pure-white sand that has ranked them as some of the best beaches in the world. Conch shells--one of our most beautiful shells--are particularly useful to crabs and other small species who can fit inside and make a home out of the vacant shells. So please admire their beauty while you’re at the beach and take a picture to bring home with you.

Kids are naturally inclined to take home the treasures that they found at the beach. But remind them that all visitors have the responsibility to leave things the way that they were when they arrived. A simple motto to keep in mind is “take nothing but photos and memories, leave nothing but footprints.” This mindset will help ensure that our marine ecosystems are not disturbed and that our beaches are litter free.