Bay scallop season permanently extended by 2 weeks

Fron the Gainesville Sun:

A state agency decided to extend the recreational bay scallop season by two weeks permanently and to consider reviving commercial scallop harvesting, which has been banned for 18 years.

The recreational season, which starts July 1 and closed annually on Sept. 11, will now end Sept. 25.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission determined Thursday that the season extensions in place the last two years did not significantly impact the bay scallop population, according to an FWC release.

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Boat Ramp and Marina Locator for Steinhatchee and Keaton Beach

I found this map online as part of a brochure and thought it would be helpful to first time scallopers to our area.

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Scalloping season under way in a big way around state

Pretty much every fan of outdoor sports in North Florida knows that scallop season is underway in the gulf, and that this year's crop of shellfish is an exceptional one. But young Chaeli Norwood of Sea Hag Marina in Steinhatchee can help shellfish seekers zero in on a batch of unusually-large early season bivalves. “The big ones,” she offered, “are north of the river — but not too far north — a mile or two south of The Birdrack. And the very biggest ones are out in water eight-to-10 feet deep.”

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Scalloping fun for the family

The only bad thing about scallop season has always been that it's too short — the dates for many years have been July 1 to Sept. 10. This year, with the state trying to jumpstart waterfront businesses along the Gulf Coast, the shellfish harvest season opened early; today is Day 2 and the season runs all the way to Sept. 25.

The early start means kids out of school get more of a chance to enjoy scalloping with their families, and what a great family sport it is. Thousands of Florida kids have gotten their first taste of the Gulf of Mexico's beautiful, clear inshore waters while snorkeling for scallops with mom and dad.

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FWC forecasts robust scalloping season

Recreational bay scallop season will open Saturday morning, and it looks like this could be a banner year.

The annual scallop census conducted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission showed an especially abundant crop in the Steinhatchee area and a healthy crop around Crystal River.

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