The 2018 recreational bay scallop season for Dixie County and a portion of Taylor County closes Sept. 11with the last day open to harvest being Sept. 10. This includes Steinhatchee and all state waters from the Suwannee River to the Fenholloway River.

Share your input

These season dates are for 2018 only. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will be working toward creating a more permanent season structure in the near future.

Share your comments on what you would like to see for a future season structure at MyFWC.com/SaltwaterComments. The FWC is very interested in understanding whether the public prefers regional differences in the season dates or a consistent season across the harvest area, as well as what season dates work best for various regions. Public feedback will be an important factor for determining whether further changes are needed when making a decision about the long-term season dates.

Citizen Science

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 may email BayScallops@MyFWC.com to ask questions or send additional information.

Learn more about long-term abundance trends in the open and closed scalloping areas by visiting MyFWC.com/Research and clicking on “Saltwater,” “Bay Scallops” and “Bay Scallop Season and Abundance Survey.”

Other 2018 Season Dates

Additional bay scallop season dates for 2018 are as follows:

• St. Joseph Bay and Gulf County: Aug. 17 through Sept. 30. 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.
• 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 Rock Island near the mouth of the Fenholloway River in Taylor County.
• Levy, Citrus and Hernando counties (including Cedar Key, Crystal River and Homosassa): July 1 through Sept. 24. This region includes all state waters south of Alligator Pass Daybeacon #4 near the mouth of the Suwannee River in Levy County to the Hernando/Pasco county line.
• Pasco County: A trial 10-day season was held July 20-29.

-30-

Media contact: Amanda Nalley, 850-404-6100 or Amanda.Nalley@MyFWC.com