What's with the Seashell?
The seashell is a Lace Murex -- Family Muricidae,  Chicoreus dilectus (A. Adams, 1855)
Back in 1974, it was a species of conch not known to range as far north as the Jack's Hole reef off Tampa Bay.  Not until your author took the courage to reach under a limestone outcropping at about 58 feet and discovered one of these critters.  There are still plenty of morays in that range, which made the peeking a little risky.

Industrial Ecology characterizes that measure risk taking, in order to make progress in whatever endeavor it takes on for clients.