Wakulla County Wakulla

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printed on recycled paper using vegetable-based ink. vegetable-based using paper recycled on printed

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Recipe courtesy of Fresh from Florida Seafood. For more more For Seafood. Florida from Fresh of courtesy Recipe Florida Sea Grant is committed to responsible and and responsible to committed is Grant Sea Florida

BOAT

fresh dill and season with freshly ground pepper. pepper. ground freshly with season and dill fresh 2017 July SGEF-244

your choice, such as angel hair. Garnish with with Garnish hair. angel as such choice, your

Serve immediately over prepared pasta of of pasta prepared over immediately Serve

http://myfwc.com

scallops. scallops.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission Wildlife and Fish Florida

and pepper to taste. Stir for 3 minutes and add add and minutes 3 for Stir taste. to pepper and

over medium-low heat; add 2 cloves garlic, salt salt garlic, cloves 2 add heat; medium-low over

Wipe out skillet, then melt 1/2 cup butter butter cup 1/2 melt then skillet, out Wipe

scallops from skillet and set aside. aside. set and skillet from scallops

Overcooking makes the texture rubbery. Remove Remove rubbery. texture the makes Overcooking

medium heat. Stir until opaque, about 1 minute. minute. 1 about opaque, until Stir heat. medium

tablespoons melted butter in a large skillet over over skillet large a in butter melted tablespoons

and limits, contact: limits, and

Sauté 3 pounds Florida scallops in 2 2 in scallops Florida pounds 3 Sauté

seasons open requirements, license

beds, collecting the scallops by hand. hand. by scallops the collecting beds,

fishing, saltwater about information For SIMPLY DELICIOUS SCALLOPS DELICIOUS SIMPLY

put up their dive flag, and snorkel over the the over snorkel and flag, dive their up put

anchor, they where deep feet 10 to 4 water Panacea, FL 32346 FL Panacea,

1493 Coastal Highway Coastal 1493

productive. Most scallopers go by boat into into boat by go scallopers Most productive.

smoking, grease (375ºF). Drain on paper towels. towels. paper on Drain (375ºF). grease smoking,

Wakulla Welcome Center Welcome Wakulla

landing net, but these methods are not very very not are methods these but net, landing

(1-2 minutes or until golden brown) in hot, not not hot, in brown) golden until or minutes (1-2 850.984.3966

from a shallow-draft boat using a dip net or or net dip a using boat shallow-draft a from http://www.visitwakulla.com breading or seasoned bread crumbs. Fry quickly quickly Fry crumbs. bread seasoned or breading

for scallops in the seagrass, or to collect them them collect to or seagrass, the in scallops for wash, then coat with any prepared seafood seafood prepared any with coat then wash,

areas. In shallow water, it is possible to wade wade to possible is it water, shallow In areas. with salt and pepper. Dip scallop meats in egg egg in meats scallop Dip pepper. and salt with

— Usually required to get to the best scalloping best the to get to required Usually — preference personal to wash Season milk. cup 1/2

in egg 1 beating by wash egg an Prepare Boat •

FRIED SCALLOPS FRIED

rivers, inlets, or navigation channels. navigation or inlets, rivers,

waters and within 100 feet of a flag within within flag a of feet 100 within and waters

and scallop excursions in the area: the in excursions scallop and

within 300 feet of a divers-down flag on open open on flag divers-down a of feet 300 within For information about accommodations accommodations about information For RECIPES

— You must make reasonable efforts to stay stay to efforts reasonable make must You —

WAKULLA COUNTY WAKULLA

marked swimming area. swimming marked

and snorkel from the beach unless it is a a is it unless beach the from snorkel and

by 12 inches; mandatory when using a mask mask a using when mandatory inches; 12 by

— Tethered to diver, must be at least 12 inches inches 12 least at be must diver, to Tethered —

[email protected]

above the vessel’s highest point. highest vessel’s the above FLORIDA BAY SCALLOP BAY FLORIDA

Cedar Key, FL 32625 FL Key, Cedar

while snorkelers are in the water; display display water; the in are snorkelers while

552 1st Street, PO Box 878 Box PO Street, 1st 552 THE OF HARVESTING RECREATIONAL

the flag unfurled. Should only be displayed displayed be only Should unfurled. flag the

UF/IFAS Nature Coast Biological Station Biological Coast Nature UF/IFAS

inches by 24 inches with a stiffener to keep keep to stiffener a with inches 24 by inches

UF/IFAS Extension UF/IFAS

— Displayed on vessel, must be at least 20 least at be must vessel, on Displayed — Savanna Barry, Regional Florida Sea Grant Agent Grant Sea Florida Regional Barry, Savanna

or contact: or • Divers-down flag (required by law) by (required flag Divers-down •

www.flseagrant.org • Small mesh bag mesh Small •

Snorkel • please visit please

and recreational harvesting of the Florida Bay Scallop, Scallop, Bay Florida the of harvesting recreational and • Swim fins Swim •

For more information about scallops, scallop research research scallop scallops, about information more For • Swim mask Swim •

EQUIPMENT NEEDED EQUIPMENT

UF/IFAS Communications UF/IFAS

David Moynahan (Cover), Google Earth, Bryan Fluech, Fluech, Bryan Earth, Google (Cover), Moynahan David

Photo Credits: Photo

SCALLOPING FLORIDA’S COLLECTING he Florida Bay Scallop is a bivalve NATURE COAST Scallops may be spotted on or near the T mollusk that lives in seagrass beds in To monitor bay scallop populations in the state bottom of seagrass beds, usually lying on their ventral shells. Often, they are easiest to find in relatively shallow water, usually 4 to 10 feet and maintain a plentiful breeding population, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation borderline areas where the sand/mud bottom deep. At one time scallops were reported Commission (FWC) annually reviews the status meets the edge of the grasses. Scallops have many neon-blue eyes and may try to swim away from as far east as West Palm Beach and as of the scallop stock in the Gulf of Mexico. Results of surveys have continually shown when they see you, but they do not swim fast far west as Pensacola. Today, populations that the scallop population within the Big or far. Keep collected scallops in a mesh bag, can only be found in selected locations Bend counties are key to the sustainability rather than in a pocket or in your swimsuit. of the recreational harvest. They can pinch! along Florida’s west coast—principally St. The scallops along the west coast Though not required, collecting scallops Joseph Bay, the Steinhatchee area of the Big of Florida are considered groups of that are at least 1.5 to two inches in size is Bend, and the areas near the Crystal and interconnected subpopulations, called seen as a best scalloping practice because the scallops are large enough to produce enough Homosassa rivers with expansive seagass a “metapopulation.” Some scientific studies have compared the genetics from LEGAL REQUIREMENTS meat to make cleaning worthwhile. This also beds. Healthy seagrass meadows are different subpopulations, showing that gives small summer scallops more time to grow In Florida, commercial harvest of bay and spawn in the fall. essential for maintaining scallop populations, the Steinhatchee area may be supplying scallops is banned. In general, recreational larvae to other subpopulations. Over so remember to practice responsible scallopers between the ages of 16 and 65 must CARE AND HANDLING time, the core population expands have a current Florida saltwater fishing license to boating and avoid damaging the and contracts on the edges, leading collect scallops. There are some exceptions, listed When brought to the boat, scallops should seagrass beds. to variable catches from year to year. in the FWC “Florida Saltwater Recreational Fishing be immediately placed on ice in a cooler for Unlike other areas where scallop Regulations,” which is available in bait shops, the trip to shore unless you decide to clean Scallops live about one year before populations have crashed due to FWC offices, or on the FWC website (http:// the scallops while on the water. Scallops are either dying off naturally or being eaten by overfishing, degraded water quality myfwc.com). All non-residents 16 and over are quite sensitive to temperature and will quickly and loss of critical seagrass habitat, the die if they are not kept cold. Even if kept cold, humans, crabs, octopuses, or a variety of required to buy a license unless they are fishing Big Bend supports a healthy, sustained (scalloping) from a for-hire vessel (guide, charter, scallops will usually die shortly after being shell-crushing fish. They spawn primarily in crop almost every year. Efforts to party boat) that has a valid vessel license. placed on ice, especially if fresh water gets restore scallop populations are ongoing into their shells. Placing them on ice, however, the fall. After about a two-week period as Open season normally runs from the in several areas of Florida, including makes them easier to open, because the muscle last Saturday in June to the third Saturday plankton, larvae develop a small shell and the southwest region, where scallops holding the shells together relaxes. A scallop, in September. Harvesting is allowed from the flourished and supported a productive clam or oyster knife, or even a teaspoon, can settle onto seagrass blades. They continue to west bank of the Mexico Beach Canal (in Bay commercial fishery in the 1950s-60s. be used to open the shells and cut the white County) to the Pasco-Hernando county line grow while attached to the grass blades by muscle free, discarding the shells and unwanted Early restocking efforts examined (near Aripeka). The bag limit is 2 gallons of a mass of silk-like filaments called a byssus. soft parts. Although most Floridians only eat what was more effective, cage or free- whole scallops (in the shell), or 1 pint of the white scallop muscle, in many other parts They later fall from the grass blades and planting cultured scallops. Scallops are scallop meat per person per day. In addition, of the world the entire animal is eaten. If you known to be “synchronized spawners” — no more than 10 gallons of whole scallops become free swimmers. Unlike oysters and do plan to eat the entire scallop, it should be when one spawns, they all do. A number or 1/2 gallon of scallop meat may be cooked thoroughly because many open harvest clams, scallops are active swimmers. They of adult, spawning scallops were placed possessed aboard any vessel at any time. areas for scallops are not classified for harvest in cages on bay bottoms where healthy You may harvest scallops only by hand or with a click their shells together, forcing expelled of other shellfish species. populations previously existed. It was found landing or dip net. Scallopers must remain in water to propel them rapidly. Scallops are that hatchery-reared scallops held in close the legal scalloping area while in possession simultaneous hermaphrodites, able to spawn proximity appeared to have an increased of scallops on the water, including the point chance of successfully reproducing over natural where they return to land. as either males or females, and are very scallops that are sparsely distributed. Future fertile. A single scallop can produce more genetic studies and experimental releases in SW See legal requirements about divers-down Florida are expected to evaluate the long-term flags in equipment section. Always check current than one million eggs per spawn. effectiveness of using aquaculture to increase fishing regulations to ensure accuracy of open scallop populations. season and bag limit information.