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Scallop counts plunge as divers prepare to jump in
By ALEX LEARY, Times Staff Writer HOMOSASSA -- A year ago this April, residents of this once-vibrant fishing community packed a meeting room at Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park to rally for an end of the scalloping ban. The delicious shellfish were everywhere in the shallow bay waters and it was hard, the residents said, not to fill a bucket for dinner. Motel and restaurant owners eagerly anticipated a return of the crowds of recreational scallopers. It was a spirited effort, but in the end, state officials said it was too early. All that changed a short time later when researchers concluded that Homosassa had more scallops that year than anywhere else in Florida, roughly 299 per 600 square meters. With cries of "told you so" still ringing, the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission lifted the seven-year ban this spring. The season begins Monday, but the latest census, completed this week, bears some potentially troubling news: The Homosassa area now has 52 scallops per 600 square meters. "I'm not thrilled about it," Bill Arnold, the Florida Marine Research Institute researcher who conducts the survey, said Thursday. "We're going to have to monitor this season very carefully." For researchers, the data raise questions about the viability of the population and whether restocking efforts, which stopped a year ago, need to continue. If there is a mad rush for scallops this summer, before spawning begins, could the population again dip to critical levels? For the hundreds of people expected to flock to the west side of Citrus County over the next few months, the effect may be more pressing. "People are going to have to work a bit harder for them," Arnold said. The fish commission had not yet heard the census results, but spokesman Lee Schlesinger said the season would continue as planned. "The commission is going to carefully evaluate this season and act accordingly," he said. While concerned, officials are not alarmed. Arnold said any population greater than 25 per 600 square meters is considered healthy enough to fish. He pointed out that the numbers today are still far greater than in the mid 1990s, when there were often fewer than 10 scallops per 600 meters. "You are looking a little harder, but there are still plenty," he said. Fishermen at Pete's Pier in Crystal River agreed. "They are pretty thick in isolated places," veteran angler Gary Lewis said Thursday. Schlesinger put a positive spin on the situation. Since scalloping is as much about snorkeling with friends as it is about eating the critters, it's not necessarily a bad thing to be out longer, he said. He urged scallopers to not take more than they are willing to clean and to be mindful of bag limits. Here are the rules: Recreational harvesters are limited to 2 gallons of scallops in the shell, or one pint of meat, per day. No more than 10 gallons of whole scallops, or a half-gallon of meat, may be aboard a boat at any time. Scallopers ages 16 to 64 need a saltwater fishing license. They cost $13.50 and can be obtained at a variety of stores and bait shops. -- Alex Leary can be reached at (352) 564-3623 or leary@sptimes.com.
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