Florida’s Recreational Bay Scallop Season Closes Sept. 25
The 2012 recreational season for bay scallops, which was extended two weeks earlier this year, will close Tuesday, Sept. 25. The final day of harvesting is Sept. 24.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) extended the season temporarily in 2010 and 2011 to help alleviate economic hardships caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
The season was extended permanently in June 2012. This extension will help increase business opportunities during a time of the year when other fisheries are closed and tourism has decreased.
The 2012 season began July 1. Before the change, the season was set to end Sept. 11. Surveys will be conducted after the season closes to assess the scallop population.
Bay scallops can be recreationally harvested in Gulf of Mexico state waters (shore to nine nautical miles) from the Pasco-Hernando County line northward to the west bank of the Mexico Beach Canal in Bay County.
The recreational bag limit is two gallons of whole bay scallops or one pint of meat per person, per day, with a vessel limit of 10 gallons of whole bay scallops or a half-gallon of meat.
There is no commercial harvest for bay scallops in Florida state waters.
Scallop harvesters can assist the FWC’s scallop researchers by completing an online survey at http://svy.mk/bayscallops, indicating where they harvest scallops, how many they collect and how long it takes to harvest them. FWC staff and some vendors in harvest areas also distribute postage-paid survey cards that collect similar data. Participants can email BayScallops@MyFWC.com to ask questions or send additional information. Harvesters are asked to submit all information for the 2012 season by Oct. 31.
Visit MyFWC.com/Fishing and click on “Saltwater,” “Recreational Regulations” and “Bay Scallops” to learn more.
The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission came into existence on July 1, 1999 - the result of a constitutional amendment approved in the 1998 General Election as part of the package proposed by the Constitution Revision Commission.
In the implementation of the Constitutional Amendment, the Florida Legislature combined all of the staff and Commissioners of the former Marine Fisheries Commission, elements of the Divisions of Marine Resources and Law Enforcement of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and all of the employees and Commissioners of the former Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission.
Five years later, after consulting stakeholders, employees and other interested parties, the FWC adopted a new internal structure to address complex conservation issues of the new century. The new structure focuses on programs, such as habitat management, that affect numerous species. It will focus on moving the decision-making process closer to the public and did not require any additional funding or additional positions.
