Shell Shock

Posted by on August 18, 2011

Past the guard dogs and back gates of the SGU campus lies one man’s wasteland and another man’s treasure trove.

Conch shells that can be up to the size of a large cantaloupe litter the beach on the western edge of St. George’s University. Wednesday, we went on a treasure seeking adventure and found a few gems.

Fishermen gather the shells and suck the meat (called Lambie) out of a hole in the top. After they have their prize, the fishermen toss the leftover shells onto the beach to rot with the rest of their garbage.

That is when we come in. If you grab the shells fresh from being farmed, the insides are a vibrant, pearly pink color. However, when we went there were few fishermen to be seen so most of the shells had been bleached white by the sun.

According to friends here, Grenada does not adhere to international fishing season laws, so the shells cannot leave the country. However, it hasn’t stopped me from displaying them proudly on my coffee table!

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