HBYC Great Scallop Hunt

July 25^th 10 am – 1 pm

Rally Point: 28 32.527 N, 082 44.050 W

Rendezvous - 9:30 am

Point Boat – Lady in Red

Monitor Channel 72

 

The recreational harvest season for bay scallops began July 1 and continues through September 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.

 

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.