Shells have had an indirect influence in advancing other industrial and world concerns in areas such as:

• Exploration voyages both on land and sea
• SCUBA diving and snorkeling ventures and companies: partly spurred on by collectors looking for deep-water shells.
• Development of marine reserves and parks - to protect endangered (by pollution and destructive fishing techniques mostly -NOT shell collectors!!!) species of molluscs and other sea life, such as corals.
• The Shell Oil Company of today, started out as a shell import company. When the value of the shell buttons in industry fell, they were forced to look for a better-paying commodity, and got lucky with oil.