Recreational Scalloping in Florida




	Making A Comeback Legal Requirements Equipment Care and Handling Recipes

	Recreational Harvesting of the Florida Bay Scallop A waterproof boat ramp and marina locator map for the Citrus County Area. To order one free copy: Kim Wagner, (352) 392-2801.

	NEW! A Boating and Angling Guide to the Nature Coast This guide includes a map of Taylor, Dixie, and Levy counties that depicts seagrass areas and boat ramps open to the public, as well as waypoints for the Big Bend Saltwater Paddling Trail. Individual copies are free and can be ordered online. The statewide series of 18 boating and angling guides, published by the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, provides fold-out maps of regional waters showing boating and fishing facilities and the distribution of natural marine resources.

	The Florida bay scallop is found in seagrass beds along the state's west and northwest coasts. Scallops are a popular catch in hot summer months, and thanks to recent restoration efforts, portions of the west coast once closed to scalloping have reopened. With access to a boat and some basic snorkeling equipment, you can jump right in...and look forward to a plate of tasty, fresh-caught scallops on your table. The Florida bay scallop is a bivalve mollusk that grows and lives in seagrass beds in relatively shallow water, 4 to 10 feet deep. At one time scallops ranged abundantly from Palm Beach to Pensacola. Today, healthy populations can only be found in selected locations along Florida's west coast - principally St. Joseph Bay, and the area between the Suwannee and Weeki Wachee rivers. Scallops live about one year before either dying off naturally or being eaten by crabs, octopuses, or a variety of shellcrushing finfish. They spawn in the fall, and after about a two-week larval period, develop a small shell and settle onto seagrass blades where they continue to grow until late spring to early summer. They then fall from the grassblades and become free swimmers. Unlike oysters and clams, scallops are active swimmers. They click their shells together, forcing expelled water to propel them quite rapidly. Scallops are also prolific spawners - a single scallop can produce more than one million eggs per spawn.

	Making a Comeback To monitor bay scallop populations in the state and maintain an abundant breeding population, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) annually reviews the status of the fishery. In July, 2002, FWC re-opened an area between the mouth of the Suwannee River and the Pasco/ Hernando county line. This area had been closed for seven years due to the limited number of scallops in that region. The "comeback" is, in part, the result of a proactive restoration program begun cooperatively by scallop researchers at the University of South Florida (USF), Florida Sea Grant, and FWC through its Fish and Wildlife Resource Institute (FWRI). In 1997, Florida Sea Grant began funding projects to determine the feasibility of aquaculturing the bay scallop both as a commercial fishery, and for replenishing depleted natural stocks. The funding has allowed researchers to expand a scallop hatchery and nursery, which in turn has provided adequate scallop seed to test hatchery-release technology. The restocking efforts look at the relative efficiency of cage versus free-planting cultured scallops. Scallops are known to be "catastrophic spawners" - when one spawns, they all do. A number of adult, spawning scallops are placed in cages on bay bottom where healthy populations had been known to previously exist. By holding hatchery-reared scallops in close proximity, they appear to have a much increased chance of successful spawning and fertilization over more sparsely distributed "natural" scallops. The restoration effort is continuing, and preliminary results seem to indicate that scallop enhancement can rapidly rebuild depleted spawning stocks.





	Legal Requirements In Florida, commercial harvest of bay scallops is banned. In general, recreational scallopers between the ages of 16 and 65 must have a current Florida saltwater fishing license to collect scallops. There are some exceptions; these are listed in the FWC "Florida Recreational Saltwater Fishing Regulations," which is available in bait shops, FWC offices, or at the FWC web site. All non-residents over the age of 16 are required to buy a license unless they are fishing (scalloping) from a for-hire vessel (guide, charter, party boat) that has a valid vessel license. Open season is July 1 through September 10 each year. Harvesting is allowed from the Mexico Beach Canal (just west of the Bay-Gulf county line) to the Pasco-Hernando county line (near Aripeka). The bag limit is 2 gallons of whole scallops (in the shell), or 1 pint of scallop meats per person per day. In addition, no more than 10 gallons of whole scallops or 1/2 gallon of scallop meats may be possessed aboard any vessel at any time. You may harvest scallops only by hand or with a landing or dip net. Scallopers must remain in the legal scalloping area while in possession of scallops on the water, including the point where they return to land.

	Equipment Needed A boat is usually required to get to the best scalloping areas. In shallow water, it is possible to wade for scallops in the seagrass, or to collect them from a shallow-draft boat using a dip net or landing net, but these methods are not very productive. Most recreational scallopers go by boat into water 4 to 10 feet deep where they anchor, put up their dive flag, and get into the water and snorkel over the beds, spotting and collecting the scallops by hand. You will need a mask, snorkel, fins, and a small mesh bag. A "diver-down" flag (20" x 24") must be displayed from the boat while snorkelers are in the water, or each swimmer must be tethered to a buoyed 12" x 12" dive flag. The tethered buoy is also mandatory if a person uses a mask and snorkel from the beach in an area not customarily used for swimming (a marked swimming area).

	Collecting Scallops may be spotted on or near the bottom of seagrass beds, usually just laying on their ventral shells. Often, they are in borderline areas where the sand/mud bottom meets the edge of the grasses. Some collectors wear gloves, but they are not necessary. While some scallops will try to swim away, they do not swim fast or far. Keep collected scallops in a bag, rather than in a pocket or in your bathing suit. They can pinch!

	Care and Handling When brought to the boat, scallops should be immediately placed on ice in a cooler for the trip to shore unless it's decided to clean the scallops while on the water. Scallops are quite sensitive to temperature and will quickly die if they are not kept cold. Even if kept cold, scallops will usually die shortly after being placed on ice, especially if fresh water gets into their shells. Placing them on ice, however, makes them easier to open, because the muscle holding the shells together relaxes. A scallop, clam or oyster knife can be used to open the shells and cut the meats. A teaspoon is also a suitable cleaning tool if the shell has relaxed enough to get it inserted. Most Americans only eat the scallop muscle; however, in many other parts of the world the entire animal is eaten, much like we eat clams and oysters.

Recipes Scallops on the Half Shell Mix 1/2 stick of melted butter, 2-3 cloves of chopped garlic, juice from 1 lime or lemon, 1/2 teaspoon of seasoned salt and a few shakes (if desired) of your favorite hot sauce. Remove the top shell from scallop, leaving whole animal in bottom of shell. Spoon 1/2 tsp. of butter mixture over scallop, then broil 4” from heat for 3-4 minutes. Do not overcook. Optional: Clean the scallop leaving only the white meat in the shell. Repeat the above recipe. Fried Scallops Prepare an egg wash by beating 1 egg in 1/2 cup milk. Season wash to personal preference with salt and pepper. Dip scallop meats in egg wash, then coat with any prepared seafood breading. Fry quickly (1-2 minutes) in hot grease (375º). Drain on paper towels.

	Additional resources: An Illustrated Guide to Cleaning a Scallop Sarasota County Extension: Florida Food Fare Waterproof Scallop Brochure PDF	For more information: John Stevely, Sea Grant Marine Extension 1303 17th St. West Palmetto, FL 34221 (941) 722-4524 jsmarine@ufl.edu


	Photos courtesy of Charles Courtney

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