Snorkeling for Florida Bay Scallops

We boarded our scalloping boats at 9am. The temperature already had crossed into the 80s and the summer humidity floated at a muggy 85 percent. Less than an hour later, I was engulfed in a hide-and-seek hunt with Florida’s small and stealthy bay scallops. Ever since commercial scalloping was banned in Florida in the 90s, the only way to get a taste of this sweet meat is to strap on a snorkel and harvest them yourself.

In the water, heat and time no longer existed. One of my favorite things about the Gulf Coast is how warm the water is; there’s no shock as you dive through the surface. Instead, it was a warm hug, engulfing me, welcoming me back home. I allowed a few loud and hollow breaths to pass through my snorkel before I dove underwater. The only sounds were the faint but familiar rhythm of my limbs pushing through the hazy, salty water.

The sensory deprivation left me free to focus on getting my eyes on the prize. And then picking up the prize and putting it in my netted catch bag, and then repeating that process until I had a bag full of scallops almost as big as the congratulations I’d surely receive from everyone on my team.

I’d been invited out here to take part in the annual scallop harvest, which draws thousands of people every year to dive in and hunt for the little elusive mollusks. Back at the marina before heading out, our group had been split up onto two boats, effectively separating us into two teams. Whichever boat brought in the most scallops would be crowned winner, but we’d all share in the sweet rewards of our combined haul at lunch. On my boat, we upped the ante by tacking on a little extra-friendly competition between teammates, too.

If recreational scalloping wasn’t already a competitive sport, it was now.

What makes Florida bay scallops so special?

Florida’s scalloping history dates back over 1000 years, possibly longer. Shell middens – ancient heaps of discarded shells – containing evidence of scallops, oysters, quahogs, and whelk have been found all over the state.

Once upon a time, Florida’s bay scallops could be found as far east as the waters off Pensacola in the Panhandle, south to the Florida Keys, and as far west as the Atlantic Coast’s West Palm Beach. Between the 1920s and 1940s, the scallop population was plentiful enough to support Florida’s booming commercial and recreational scalloping demands. Commercial scalloping peaked in the mid-40s, but the high demand took its toll. By the 1960s, scallop populations and the commercial industry were struggling.

Unfortunately, decades of unregulated overfishing and habitat loss followed, and restrictions on scalloping weren’t put into place until 1985, when, for the first time ever, the state introduced closed season dates and harvest limits. It was almost too little and too late.

By 1994, scallop populations were near-decimated and drastic measures were taken. Commercial scalloping was completely banned statewide — meaning Florida bay scallops could no longer be harvested for sale. Additionally, recreational harvesting was prohibited south of the Swanee River (and later, in 2002, in all waters west of the Mexico Beach Canal in Bay County).

In Pasco County, which sits south of the Swanee, it took over 25 years to lift the recreational scalloping ban. After two trial seasons, the ban was officially lifted in 2020, though the county has only been granted a 10-day harvest season — by far the shortest in the state — to ensure the local scallop population can be sustained.

Tips for spotting scallops

Scallop population numbers were on my mind with every lung-busting sweep I took in the warm waters off Pasco County’s New Port Richey. Scalloping wasn’t the easy Easter egg hunt I’d imagined. Turns out, scallops are experts in camouflage, and, more often than not, when my eyes crawled the sand and seagrass, I came back to the surface empty-handed. It was only day two of Pasco’s 10-day season, so the beds couldn’t be too picked over — was I just bad at this?

“You’ve gotta look for their eyes,” our captain, Mark Dillingham, instructed. Scallops have rows of tiny, bright blue eyes that can help you spot them, but you must act fast because if they see you, they’ll jet away.

Florida bay scallops are unique bivalves with a flair for dramatic exits. When feeling threatened, they rapidly close their shells and use it as a jet pump to escape in any direction. With 20 to 30 pairs of eyes, they are adept at spotting potential predators.

For me, the best approach was to identify the unmistakable eyes and then slowly approach the scallop without making sudden movements. Usually, their first reaction would be to clamp up — and that’s when I’d grab them and toss them into my regulation netted catch bag.

On this trip, one particularly agile scallop effortlessly escaped my net. It happened so quickly that I could only watch as it zig-zagged backward into the salty water until it disappeared.

Where and when can you go snorkeling for scallops in Florida?

Pasco County’s small but growing scallop population may have made my harvest particularly challenging, but I’m always up for a challenge. In this case, it made me appreciate the scallops and their Floridian history even more. Depending on where and when you’re on the Gulf Coast, you can set the challenge level for your own bay forage experience.

Florida bay scallops thrive in seagrass beds at shallow depths between four and 10 feet. Some scallop snorkel trips even allow you to wade into the water, plucking up shells in the swaying seagrass beds.

Currently, scalloping is allowed in designated areas along the Gulf Coast, from around Mexico Beach in the central Panhandle down through the southernmost borders of Pasco County.

The healthiest populations are concentrated along Florida’s Big Bend Shellfish Trail, starting in Franklin County around St. Vincent Island and following the coastline down to southern Hernando County. These areas have early season starts and offer the longest harvest seasons. The most popular spots include Steinhatchee, Crystal River, and Homosassa.

The Gulf County Zone includes all waters west of the Mexico Beach Canal up to the westernmost side of St. Vincent Island. Scalloping is allowed here for about five weeks, starting in mid-August — still lengthy compared to the 10-day season in Pasco County, which kicks off on the third Friday in July.

How do they keep scalloping sustainable?

After three hours in the water, we’d reached our daily bag limit; four pints of shucked scallop meat per boat (or 10 gallons of scallops still in the shell). Bag limits, which vary by zone, are one of the regulations that Florida uses to prevent overfishing and ensure sustainable scalloping.

Other regulations include limiting harvesting to hand methods or using landing nets and setting limited seasons based on the local scallop population. You also need a Florida saltwater fishing license to harvest scallops, or you can opt for a no-cost shoreline fishing license. For visitors, licensed fishing boat charters offer access to this exciting activity.

According to Emily Abellera from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, scallop restoration is a top priority.

“To increase depleted scallop populations and reintroduce them in suitable areas, FWC began a 10-year Bay Scallop Restoration Plan in 2016,” she explained.

The project takes place in the Panhandle and involves creating a hatchery, rearing scallop larvae, and releasing juvenile scallops into areas with low natural populations.

FWC also conducts seasonal harvesting surveys and ongoing population monitoring while allowing the public to report their scalloping experiences.

“Every year, FWC scallop biologists estimate scallop population density along Florida’s Gulf Coast after the season to determine spawning availability for the next year,” Abellera added.

After we packed it in and counted our catch, we headed straight for the docks at a local restaurant that offers catch-and-cook — you bring your fresh catch, and they’ll cook it for you at your table. Captain Mark kept us busy during the ride by having us shuck and clean our scallops.

If you are the type of traveler who seeks immersive experiences or loves local delicacies, snorkeling for Florida bay scallops should be on your list. And, if you’re curious about where your food comes from — this is a delightful way to discover firsthand.

(Oh, and in case anyone was wondering: I won, by one shell.)

Katherine Alex Beaven traveled to New Port Richey, Florida, by invitation from Florida’s Sports Coast.