For Additional Headlines - go to our News Section »

• FDLE Arrests Food Stamp Traffickers in Massive Statewide Sweep
  made by Dewey712
• FDLE Arrests Food Stamp Traffickers in Massive Statewide Sweep
  made by sillysue
• Jackson Fights State Budget Cuts
  made by String
• Gas Prices Predicted to Hit $3
  made by gator
• John Perrys Takes Plea Deal
  made by Panamaed

• Pizza Mascot Loses His Head in Robbery
• Inmate Beaten at Graceville Correctional Facility Dies
• Enforcement Cracks Down on Spring Breakers; 126 Arrested
• Pot Bust on Panama City Beach
• St. Joe Company Moving to New Airport Site
• Second Victim Identified in Traffic Fatality on I-10 in Walton County
• Wewahitchka Woman Hit and Killed
• ABT Arrests 125 on the First Night of Spring Break Enforcement
• La Vela Numbers
• Driver Crashes Into Home

Bay scallop season opens July 1
06/24/09 - 02:37 PM

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)

 RSS Feed

The recreational harvest season for bay scallops begins July 1 and continues through Sept. 10.  Open scalloping areas on Florida’s Gulf coast extend from the west bank of the Mexico Beach Canal in Bay County to the Pasco-Hernando county line near Aripeka.

You can take bay scallops only within the allowable harvest areas.  It is illegal to possess bay scallops while you’re in or on state waters outside the open harvest areas, or to land bay scallops outside the open areas.

There is a daily limit of 2 gallons of whole bay scallops in the shell or
1 pint of bay scallop meat per person during the open season.  In addition, no more than 10 gallons of whole bay scallops in the shell or one-half gallon of bay scallop meat may be possessed aboard any vessel at any time.

You are allowed to harvest bay scallops only by hand or with a landing or dip net, and bay scallops may not be harvested for commercial purposes.

Unless otherwise exempt, you will need a regular Florida saltwater fishing license when using a boat to harvest scallops. If wading from shore, starting Aug. 1, you will need a regular Florida saltwater fishing license or the new shore-based license.

Divers and snorkelers are required to display a “divers-down” flag (red with a white diagonal stripe) while in the water. Boaters must stay at least 100 feet away from a divers-down flag in a river, inlet or channel.
In open waters, boaters must stay 300 feet away from a divers-down flag.
For more information on divers-down flag requirements, visit MyFWC.com/RULESANDREGS/Rules_Boat.htm#flag.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission encourages you to adhere to scallop fishing regulations and collect only the amount of bay scallops you are willing to clean.

More information on bay scallops is available online at MyFWC.com/RULESANDREGS/Saltwater_Regulations_bayscallops.htm and http://research.myfwc.com/features/category_sub.asp?id=2598.