Bay Scallop Season 2010

Open harvest season for bay scallops along Florida’s Gulf coast normally begins July 1 and runs through September 10. In response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, bay scallop season will open 12 days early in 2010. Open harvest of bay scallops in Florida waters will extend from June 19, 2010 through September 10, 2010. Open harvest areas and harvest limits have not changed since 2008.  Scallops may be harvested in state waters north of the Pasco-Hernando County border (Aripeka) and east of the western bank of the Mexico Beach Canal in Bay County.

 

*Bay scallop open harvest season normally opens on July 1 and ends September 10. The early opening of the harvest season beginning July 19, 2010 is in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and is only valid for the year 2010.

 

To open the map of the 2010 bay scallop open harvest area and surrounding counties in Adobe PDF format click here (191KB).

 

 

	Hernando	Homosassa/Crystal River	Steinhatchee	St. Mark's/Lanark	St. Joseph Bay
1997	20.2	15.2	25.9	-	27.3
1998	0.8	3.0	27.4	-	13.4
1999	8.7	28.6	164.4	-	31.1
2000	51.8	242.8	218.3	-	3.8
2001	72.2	299.3	122.8	-	12.1
2002	6.7	51.8	138.7	-	37.5
2003	10.8	125.6	61.3	-	28.7
2004	1.4	5.7	18.8	-	2.4
2005	27.4	72.3	22.7	-	59.2
2006	9.1	21.9	11.2	-	35.6
2007	37.8	48.0	36.8	-	41.2
2008	98.8	86.2	140.0	170.0	11.3
2009	9.4	20.7	69.0	8.4	97.2
2010	32.3	77.0	54.5	5.4	138.2

 

It is illegal to possess bay scallops on water outside open harvest areas. It is also illegal to land scallops outside open harvest areas. These regulations are designed to protect and maintain the fragile bay scallop population. Click here for a summary of the management of the bay scallop fishery in Florida in Adobe PDF format (17KB).

 

Harvest of bay scallops for commercial sale remains illegal in Florida. Recreational harvest for personal consumption is allowed only north of the Hernando/Pasco county line and west to the Mexico Beach Canal in Bay County. Each person is allowed two gallons of whole scallops, or the equivalent of one pint of shucked meat, per day. The limit for each boat is 10 gallons of whole scallops or one-half gallon of meat per day, but the individual limit applies when fewer than five people occupy the boat. SCUBA divers and swimmers using a mask and snorkel are required to carry and display a divers-down flag. Scallop harvesting is very popular in the Steinhatchee vicinity, St. Joseph Bay, and around Crystal River. Harvest periods, harvest areas, and fishing regulations are subject to changes. Recreational harvesters should review current rules and regulations before collecting bay scallops.

 

To view current state of Florida regulations on harvesting bay scallops, visit the FFWCC Saltwater Rules and Regulations at: http://myfwc.com/RULESANDREGS/Saltwater_Regulations_bayscallops.htm

 

For more information regarding diver-down flags please visit:

 

For current boating safety rules and regulations please visit: