2 cents...I just got back from AC and i saw all kinds of shells and pieces of polished coral for sale. so what gives? its snot ok to buy and take home??? whats the difference if you find it in the ocean or buy it from a vendor. Of course you cannot take shells from the national park (Hol Chan) but i think that pretty much the rest of the ocean is fair game. When my luggage was searched by the Belizian Security at the airport the person handled the shell i had and commented on how nice it was as he put it back in my bag. I'm no expert on the law but this was my experience.