Case worth cracking
Scallops were once so common that Tampa Bay supported a commercial scallop fishery, but habitat loss and pollution have taken their toll.
By TERRY TOMALIN
Published June 29, 2007
Thirty years ago, you could walk along the grass flats of Pinellas County and fill a bucket with scallops without much effort. The shellfish were once so common that Tampa Bay supported a commercial scallop fishery. But habitat loss and pollution have taken their toll. Scallops are filter feeders and need clean water and lush sea grass beds to survive. Both water quality and sea grass acreage declined drastically during the boom years of the 1950s, when developers ruled Tampa Bay. By the early 1960s, the fishery had collapsed. The population around Anclote Key and Tarpon Springs dwindled in the '70s. In 1994, state officials were forced to take action and shut down the scallop season in Crystal River and Homosassa, once considered two of the best scalloping spots in the state.
Natural cycles
While scallop populations do fluctuate naturally, researchers have long kept an eye on Tampa Bay, considered the key to the scallop population on the west coast of Florida. When local populations crashed, researchers were afraid it might have a domino effect on other populations up the coast.
But the tide may have turned. Thanks to the efforts of local, state and federal governments, as well as a myriad of environmental groups, water quality has improved. Tampa Bay, in theory, is clean enough to support a vibrant scallop population again.
Life history
Adult scallops spawn in the early fall, and it doesn't take many to repopulate an area. A single scallop can lay millions of eggs at one time. But those eggs are sensitive to changes in water temperature and quality. A storm during spawning season can wash the eggs out to sea and doom the next year's crop. Only one of an estimated 12-million eggs will survive to adulthood.
Catching them
Scallops are generally found in waters 4 to 8 feet deep. To catch them, you are going to have to strap on a mask, snorkel and pair of fins. You will find these tasty bivalves hiding in the grass beds. Remember, scallops can swim. These creatures simply squeeze their shells together and expel a jet of water that will rocket it across a grass bed.
So be quick and be careful.
Scallops have been known to pinch a finger or hand. And don't forget the case of the unfortunate scalloper who forgot his scalloping bag. With no place to store his catch, the man placed them in his swim trunks - a painful mistake you can be sure he did not make again.
Restocking efforts
Scientists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute and the University of South Florida in St. Petersburg have had great success cultivating and restocking scallops from Pine Island Sound to St. Andrews Bay.
Researchers have watched these scallops grow and spawn in open-water cages, showing that one day, west coast scallop populations may return to historic levels.
For more information, go to www.myfwc.com and follow the research link.
Great Bay Scallop Search
Every summer, Tampa Bay Watch recruits hundreds of snorkelers to scour the grass beds of Tampa Bay in search of scallops for research. In 1997, volunteers found a record-high 79 scallops. In 2005, they found just one. Officials blamed the low numbers on a recent Red Tide and phosphate spill. This year's Great Scallop Search is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 18. For information, go to www.tampabaywatch.org or call (727) 867-8166.
Fast Facts:
Getting inside the scallop
Scientific name: Argopecten irradians
Distribution: Florida's west coast and on the east coast, as far north as West Palm Beach.
Size: Fully grown, about 2 inches.
Habitat: Grass beds and shallow waters of estuaries.
Life span: The life span of a bay scallop is just 12-18 months, while some species of clams may live 40 years.
Function: An adult bay scallop can pump nearly 15 liters of water per hour through its body. Water carrying food and oxygen comes in. Water that has been "cleansed" goes out with other waste products. As a result, scallops are hypersensitive to pollution. Biologists often refer to them as "underwater canaries" because their absence can signal subtle changes in water quality.
Food source: Stone crabs, with their powerful crushing claws, love to eat scallops. The outside of stone crab burrows are often littered with broken scallop shells. Humans also love to eat bay scallops, or to be exact, the strong adductor muscle used to close its shell.
Sex life: Bay scallops have both male and female sex organs, so they produce sperm and eggs. Only one of the thousand of eggs a scallop releases will survive to adulthood.
Creature feature: The long line of tiny blue eyes on the outer rim of the shell detect movement and serve as an early warning system.
Regulations
Scallop season opens Sunday and runs through Sept. 10 in designated waters (see graphic above).
But boaters beware. It is illegal to possess scallops on the water outside of the open harvest area. You can gather scallops in the water off Hernando, but you can't land with your catch in Pasco County.
Each scalloper is limited to 2 gallons of whole bay scallops (in the shell) or 1 pint of scallop meat. Scallopers may possess no more than 10 gallons of whole scallops or a half gallon of scallop meat aboard any vessel, no matter how many people are on board.
Times Outdoors Editor Terry Tomalin can be reached at tomalin@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8808.