Some edible molluscs if not properly harvested (timing can be everything!) and prepared can also be quite toxic. Red tides affect many molluscs and should be understood before self harvesting any salt water molluscs. For more information on RED TIDE, go to your library or internet and learn the facts about Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning or PSP. One such site is by the Alaskan Division of Environmental health at: http://www.state.ak.us/dec/deh/seafood/psp/psp.htm.

Even freshwater molluscs can be hazardous. Such things as pfiesteria can be a condition affecting many shell fish. Visit a site such as: "WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT PFIESTERIA and VIRGINIA'S WATERS at: http://www.vdh.state.va.us/epi/pfieste.htm".

Molluscs absorb heavy metals such as mercury and lead readily. Pesticides as well as other contaminants from land can leech into streams, shorelines and bays so it is wise to know what agriculture or industry is nearby. Many molluscs (most bivalves) are filter feeders and others are grazers and or carnivores. Pollutants can become quite concentrated (to the level of being toxic at times) in their meat. A good policy is to avoid harvesting any molluscs from any known polluted waters or unknown waters.

Food allergies are a serious concern. If you know that you have food allergies to other products, be very cautious when eating a mllousc for the first time and never consume raw molluscs. Start out with a very small amount of meat to see how and if you react before diving in for a BIG feed.

There are also other medical conditions that can be related to molluscs. I have listed many of these on my Molluscs and Medicine Page.

1. Check with the locals in the area you wish to harvest. They generally know what, where, when and how to safely harvest molluscs in their area of the world. Find out the legalities involved locally as to which species are actualy allowed to be collected. Many species today are protected or at least have a minimnun bag limit. You don't want to become a law breaker and end up with a fine, or worse still, in jail when all you had in mind was enjoying a delightful dinner.

2. For marine and other aquatic molluscs species, a good rule of thumb is: do not eat those that are not covered by water at high tide!

3. Always keep any mollusc to be consumed alive and fresh. They should be quickly cooled, iced down then placed in a fridge as soon as possible. if to be stored know how long it is safe for that mollusc, better still find out how to clean and freeze them if possible. You should only consume known fresh, healthy specimens. If in doubt, throw it out!

4. Acquire known recipes and follow proper preparation methods for each species of mollusc you harvest for consumption. Some molluscs can be rather tough, requiring a lot preparation and cooking effort. Local residents are the ones to question as to how to correctly prepare any mollusc in question.
Knowing how to correctly prepare your snail can mean the difference in enjoying a tender morsel or having a meal with the consistancy of an old rubber inner tube, or worse still, having your dinner come back later to haunt you with gastric pains or worse.
As a general guide, molluscs can be steamed, boiled, fried or baked and they make excellent additions to chowders, stews and soups. But; Remember, tastes can vary greatly between cultures! Just because a local enjoys a feast of slugs, it doesn't mean you will too! It's all a matter of personal tastes!

5. Land snails require purging before they can be prepared safely. Go to Purging Snails for more information on this

Environmental Guidelines for Collecting Shellfish

Always collect from unpolluted areas, far away from large populations of people. Do not disturb the natural areas any more than necessary. Do not leave anything behind when you leave, ie. garbage. If you see garbage that someone has left behind, pick it up. Do not gather anything from inside a park or protected area. You usually need a license to gather any sea life. (Check your area for this rule) Obey all signs about collecting shellfish, they warn about pollution and red tide. Take only the seafoods that you need for a single meal at any one time. If you encounter the females of any species, leave them alone. Stick to "Bag limits" or if they don't exist, gather only 25-30% of any species of shellfish in a given area, and try to gather the most plentiful species only.

Mollusc		Image Links	Countries where found and eaten	Commercial Aquaculture Heliciculture	Recipes / Preparation	Miscellaneous Information	Other Links
Divided into families with the species being listed below and colour coded
Gastropods		Where on the internet you can see an image of this species	Where in the world this species is located and consumed	Is it C: Commercialy Harvested for market A: Raised as in aquaculture H: raised as in heleciculture (Terrestrials)	I hope to be able to add more recipes and /or preparations for some of the molluscs listed on these pages. look for word Recipe and click to go there. A URL will indicate on off site link to a recipe	Interesting or pertinent data about this species	Miscellaneous internet links giving information about this species
Bivalve Families
Polyplacophoras
Cephalpoda
Terrestrial Freshwater
	Additional Information about this species.

Terms Used:

• Commercial: Shells being harvested to be sold at market
• Heliciculture: Snail farming / Raising of edible land snails
• Aquaculture: The science, art, and business of cultivating marine or freshwater food fish or shellfish, such as oysters, clams, salmon, and trout, under controlled conditions.
• Mar·i·cul·ture: Cultivation of marine organisms in their natural habitats, usually for commercial purposes. [Latin mare, mari-, sea + CULTURE.]

Edible Molluscs Articles

David Lubell (A brief biography) A prehistoric archaeologist, I taught for many years at the University of Alberta and am now attached to the University of Waterloo (dlubell@uwaterloo.ca). I have worked since the 1960s on the relationship between past human populations and the environment, especially with regard to the transition from hunting-gathering to food production in the circum-Mediterranean. From 1972-83 I directed a project in Algeria on "Prehistoric Cultural Ecology of Capsian Escargotières" in which we tried to understand why people who lived there between about 10,000 and 6,000 years ago, seem to have depended so heavily on land snails for food. The two papers included here are part of that project. Dr David Lubell Department of Anthropology University of Waterloo Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1 http://anthropology.uwaterloo.ca/lubell.html Dr. David Lubell has kindly allowed me (Man and Molusc - Avril Bourquin) to link up to two fabulous articles he has written; I am presently having problems with the pdf files not loading correctly. Click on link - allow to load- go back to article page- reclick on the link the article will be there. I have been seeking assistance as to the masteries of this problem Avril Bourquin Thank you for your patience. In the meantime, to avoid the above proceedure, you may use the secondary "off site" link is available - see Secondary pdf file source at bottom of abstract. 1. David Lubell (2004) Prehistoric edible land snails in the circum-Mediterranean: the archaeological evidence. In, J.-P. Brugal and J. Desse (eds.), Petits Animaux et Sociétés Humaines: du Complément Alimentaire aux Ressources Utilitaires, XXIVe Rencontres Internationales d'Archéologie et d'Histoire d'Antibes. Éditions APDCA, Antibes, pp. 77-98. Abstract - Edible land snails are often abundant in late Pleistocene and Holocene archaeologicalsites (c. 10000 to c. 6000 BP) throughout the Mediterranean region. This chapter, the firstattempt to summarize the evidence, argues that in almost every instance the land snails found in occupational deposits are the remains of prehistoric meals. Secondary pdf file source: 2. David Lubell (2004) Are land snails a signature for the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition? In, M. Budja (ed.), The Neolithization of Eurasia - paradigms, models and concepts involved, Neolithic Studies 11, Documenta Praehistorica XXXI: 1-24. Abstract - Edible land snails, representing food remains, are frequently very abundant in late Pleistocene and early-middle Holocene archaeological sites throughout the circum-Mediterranean region. As such, they appear to represent a signature for a broad spectrum subsistence base as first conceived by Flannery in 1969, and therefore must be in some way related to the transition from foraging to food production. This paper investigates the implications that can be drawn from the presence of these snails through information on their ecology, biology, behaviour and nutritional value as well as the behaviour of the prehistoric human groups who collected and consumed them. Secondary pdf file source:

Prehistoric Shellfish Gathering by Katherine Szabo: (Feb. 01, 2002) A great article on the the use of of prehistoric mollusc consumption.

Data Base initiated Decemner 29, 2001