Later on, 2014 will be remembered as one of the best years of the last decades.  The meetings were never before so instructive and engaging. A number of speakers brought a variety of topics of a high level.

We had to say goodbye to two members but they were replaced by other collectors who on the other hand always testify to a correct attitude, motivation and especially commitment.

Compared with a few years ago, the number of members at the meetings doubled, so that an average of ten to fifteen people were present. We have adapted the style of the meetings by working as much as possible with PowerPoint presentations or by presenting the shots in real time through a life-view camera and a beamer instead of passing along the shells for investigation. The first option requires additional work but the result is very rewarding.

We have taken care of a varied program as much as possible to satisfy most of the participants. We do not that forget most members have to travel from rather faraway locations such as Genk, Overpelt, Schilde, Heverlee, Aarschot, Merelbeke, Ghent, Wielsbeke, Izegem, Knokke, Oostkamp or Koksijde to Oostende. The move must pay the effort!

We prefer quality over quantity without forgetting the beginner collector. This is not an easy task. Some members are very helpful to assist in different tasks. In addition, this year some guest-speakers were present such as Yves Terryn, Bruno and Patrick Anseeuw. They offered us some highly appreciated high-level lectures. The regular presence of Steve Hubrecht brings an extra dimension to the meetings thanks to his extensive knowledge and a lot of travel stories he brought. We are particularly pleased to finally welcome ladies in our midst particularly from the provinces of Antwerp and Limburg.

List of activities in 2014

– 14 January:

* Statutory meeting with the reading of the annual report.

* Presentation of three new available issues of the magazine “Neptunea” (F. Nolf).

* First session of the identification of European glycymerididae.

* Introduction to the use of the pallial sinus in Bivalvia as identification tool (F. Nolf).

* Festive opening of the new year with champagne and snacks (Mrs. Nolf).

– 16 February:

* Introduction to the study of Olividae and Olivellidae, especially the genera Agaronia, Amalda, Olivancillaria, Olivella in South Africa (F. Nolf and Paul Verstraete).

* Presentation of some remarkable shells (F. Nolf and Paul Verstraete).

* Lecture by guest speaker Patrick Anseeuw about pleurotomariidae.

* “Everybody is famous’: from baker to scientific collaborator at the RBINS (F. Swinnen) (?!)

– 23 March:

* Second session of the identification of glycymerididae.

* The importance of the columellar callus as a tool for determination of Gastropoda, more specifically in the families Olividae and Olivellidae (Paul Verstraete).

* Some remarkable shells + short reports (F. Nolf).

* Donax burnupi: a South African species also present in West Africa? (Johan Verstraeten).

* The storing and registering of my shells (Steve Hubrecht).

– 13 April:

* Identification of unknown shells.

* How do I measure my shells?.

* Slides from the past: seashells as a by-catch of Belgian fishing (F. Nolf).

* Chatting about Terebridae (Yves Terryn).

– 1 June:

* Acquisitions, anecdotes and impressions after the Shell Show in Hoboken.

* Evaluation of new books (F. Nolf and Steve Hubrecht).

* The Donax sp. from Western Sahara (F. Nolf).

* What kind of equipment do I need to find shells in Brittany? (with records of interesting places off St. Malo) (F. Nolf).

– 22 June:

* Comparing specimens of Donax sp. from Western Sahara with similar South African species.

* Identification and discussion of West African Terebridae by Yves Terryn according to a new article.

* Projection of shells from Brittany and Normandy (F. Nolf).

– 31 August:

* Some remarkable shells (Steve Hubrecht).

* Presentation of Calliostoma agrigentinum Coen, 1936.

* Comparison between Clavatula quinteni and C. xanteni from West Africa.

* Slides from the past: slide show about Brittany.

– 21 September:

* Storage and registration of shells + demonstration of making boxes with cardboard (F. Nolf).

* Presentation of Distorsio globosa, a new West African species compared with similar species (F. Nolf).

* Report of a trip to St. Malo (Rudy Bruyneel).

– 19 October:

* West African Terebridae: projection of various specimens through a life-view camera linked to a  microscope and a beamer (Johan Verstraeten).

* Review of the description of Distorsio globosa: more information and projection of slides of additional specimens (F. Nolf).

* Report on a shelling trip in South Africa by Yves Terryn and Bruno Anseeuw with as main purpose the search for chitons.

– 16 November:

* Presentation of a new issue of ‘Neptunea (F. Nolf).

* Demonstration of editing and cutting photos with Microsoft Photo Premium and Photoshop CS5 (F. Nolf).

* What’s the difference between Simnia patula and Simnia hiscocki? A discussion on the basis of a large amount of specimens incorporated into a PowerPoint presentation (F. Nolf).

* “Three shells of South Africa and two ‘stray’ shells” (Paul Verstraete).

* Continuation of the search for the correct name of Donax sp. of Western Sahara.

* The difference between Gibbula pennanti and Gibbula umbilicalis shown by digital slides and a comparative study of the shells.

– 21 December:

* Introduction to a ‘virtual version’ of the manuscript of the part II of the ‘Compendium of Bivalves’  by Huber and the book about the collection of Pisor (‘a world first’) (Y. Terryn).

* Aporrhais pespelecani in Denmark (D. Cremer), Pinna nobilis (G. Venken) and a specimen of a Murex on the beach of Koksijde, Belgium (F. Nolf).

* Identification of juvenile Cypraea ’s (P. Verstraete).

* Calliostoma agrigentinum: a new report (D. Verschuren).

* To close this year: the treat with sparkling wine by Dirk De Boe on the occasion of his birthday!