The local geologist 6: The fossil trade

What do you do if a professional collector starts fossicking in your favourite quarry? Call the police? English Nature? The local museum? Or perhaps nip round with the cheque book to get that crinoid you always wanted for the study wall? The correct answer could be any or all of these; professional fossil collecting is an activity with very real costs which are often outweighed by the benefits. It depends who's collecting what, where and when.