Bay scallop season opens Aug. 16 in St. Joseph Bay/Gulf County, Florida
Recreational bay scallop season for Gulf County, including all of St. Joseph Bay, opens Aug.16 and will remain open through Sept. 24. This region includes all state waters from the Mexico Beach Canal in Bay County to the westernmost point of St. Vincent Island in Franklin County. Please monitor the weather, as Hurricane Season is in full swing (see map on left).
Scalloping, possession of scallops, anchoring or tampering with restoration activities is prohibited in the Bay Scallop Restoration Area marked with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) buoys south of Black’s Island (see map on right).
The daily bag limits are 2 gallons of whole bay scallops in the shell or 1 pint of shucked bay scallop meat per person, with a maximum of 10 gallons of whole bay scallops in the shell or 1/2 gallon (4 pints) shucked bay scallop meat per vessel. Throughout the season and region-wide, vessel limits do not allow an individual to exceed their personal bag limit.
Additional bay scallop season dates are as follows:
Franklin County through northwestern Taylor County, including Carrabelle, Lanark and St. Marks: July 1 through Sept. 24. This region includes all state waters from the westernmost point of St. Vincent Island in Franklin County to the mouth of the Fenholloway River in Taylor County.
Fenholloway through Suwannee rivers, including Keaton Beach and the Steinhatchee area: June 15 through Labor Day (Sept. 6, 2021). This region includes all state waters east of Rock Island near the mouth of the Fenholloway River in Taylor County and north of Alligator Pass daybeacon #4 near the mouth of the Suwannee River in Levy County.
Levy, Citrus and Hernando counties, including Cedar Key, Crystal River and Homosassa: July 1 through Sept. 24. This region includes all state waters from the mouth of the Suwannee River in Levy County to the Hernando-Pasco county line.
Pasco County: Was open for 10 days starting the third Friday in July (July 16-25, 2021). This region includes all state waters south of the Hernando-Pasco county line and north of the Anclote Key Lighthouse, including all waters of the Anclote River.
Other regulations
Scallops may be collected by hand or with a landing or dip net.
There is no commercial harvest of bay scallops allowed in Florida.
Direct and continuous transit of legally harvested bay scallops is allowed through closed areas. Boaters may not stop their vessels in waters that are closed to harvest and must proceed directly to the dock or ramp to land scallops in a closed area.
Bay scallop regulations and Apps
Click here for bay scallop regulaions: myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/bay-scallops, or download the Fish Rules App at FishRulesApp.com or follow Fish Rules at Instagram.com/FishRulesApp or Facebook.com/FishRulesApp.
Boater and scalloper safety
Be safe when diving for scallops. Wear a life jacket when underway and do not drink and boat. When scalloping in open water, divers should stay within 300 feet of a properly displayed divers-down flag or device, and within 100 feet of a properly displayed divers-down flag or device if on a river, inlet or navigation channel. Boat operators traveling within 300 feet of a divers-down flag or device in open water or within 100 feet of one on a river, inlet or navigational channel must slow to idle speed.
Divers-down Warning Devices
he following regulations apply whenever someone is wholly or partially submerged and is using a face mask and snorkel or underwater breathing apparatus. A divers-down warning device may be a divers-down flag, buoy, or other similar warning device. These devices are designed for, and used by, divers and dive vessels as a way to notify nearby boaters that divers are in the water in the immediate area. The device must be displayed prominently when in use. The divers-down warning device must meet the following requirements.
The divers-down warning device must contain a divers-down symbol. The symbol is a red rectangle or square with a white diagonal stripe. If the symbol is a rectangle, the length may not be less than the height or more than 25% longer than the height. The width of the stripe must be 25% of the height of the symbol. If multiple stripes are displayed, all of the stripes must be oriented in the same direction.
The size of the divers-down symbol depends on whether the divers-down warning device is displayed from the water or from a vessel. On the water, the divers-down symbol must be at least 12 x 12 inches in size. On a vessel, the symbol must be at least 20 x 24 inches in size.
When displayed on a boat, the divers-down warning device also must be displayed at the highest point of the vessel so that its visibility is not obstructed in any direction.
If the divers-down warning device is a flag, the divers-down symbol must be on each face and have a wire stiffener or be otherwise constructed to ensure it remains fully unfurled and extended, even when there is no wind or breeze.
If the divers-down symbol is a buoy, the buoy must have three or four sides with the divers-down symbol displayed on each of the flat sides. The buoy must be prominently visible on the water’s surface and can’t displayed on the vessel.
Boaters must make reasonable efforts to stay at least 300 feet away from divers-down warning devices in open water and at least 100 feet away in rivers, inlets, or navigation channels. Boaters approaching divers-down warning devices closer than 300 feet in open water and 100 feet in rivers, inlets, or navigation channels must slow down to idle speed.
Divers-must make a reasonable effort to stay within 100 feet of a divers-down flag or a buoy within rivers, inlets, or navigation channels and within 300 feet on open water.
A divers-down warning device may not be displayed when divers are out of the water.
Stow it, don’t throw it
Please do not discard scallop shells in inshore waters commonly used for recreational activities such as near boat ramps or swimming areas. Piles of discarded scallop shells can create hazards for swimmers and damage seagrass habitat. Scallop shells can be discarded in a trash receptacle or in larger bodies of water where they are more likely to disperse.
Citizen science
Done for the day? Help FWC’s scallop researchers by completing an online survey at svy.mk/bayscallops. Harvesters can indicate where they harvested scallops, how many they collected and how long it took to harvest them. Participants can email BayScallops@MyFWC.com to ask questions or send additional information. Learn more about how FWC scientists monitor Florida’s scallops here: myfwc.com/research/saltwater/mollusc/bay-scallops/season.