Conservation & Threats

Being a major predator of bivalves, this species is considered to be a pest to commercial oyster growers in Australia. IUCN lists them as a species of least concern, with their main threat being commercial exploitation for its shell prized by local collectors, which have been used as trumpets in the past and also as decorative ornaments. However, it is not considered to be globally threatened due to its wide distribution throughout the world (IUCN, 2013).


Figure 13. Image of an oyster reef at Hunting 
Island State Park, South Carolina at mid-tide.
Sourced from Wikipedia.