Expansive seagrass meadows - an estimated 250,000 acres - flourish in Adventure Coast's clear waters and provide a habitat for scallops to thrive.
These plentiful seagrass beds, coupled with the calm waters and shallow depths make this an ideal place for snorkeling and scalloping.
Book a charter trip and just bring your smile. When you want to simply show up, sit back and leave the gear behind, choose among several U.S. Coast Guard certified charter captains familiar with local waters. They will take care of everything, fishing license included.
Scallops grow larger as the summer progresses. Recreational scallopers should harvest only those 1 1/2 to 2 inches in size in order to give smaller scallops more time to grow and later spawn.
And of course, the larger they are, the more tasty meat they yield.
Grab up to two gallons of whole, in the shell scallops or one pint of scallop meat per person per day.
Per boat the daily limit is ten gallons of intact scallops, which is equivalent to 1/2 gallon = 4 pints cleaned.
Be sure to have a cooler on board and place them immediately on ice, keeping them fresh and making the shells easier to open.
NOTE: Please do not discard scallop shells in inshore waters commonly used for recreational activities. Piles of discarded scallop shells can create hazards for swimmers and damage seagrass habitat. Scallop shells can be discarded in a trash receptacle or in larger bodies of water where they are more likely to disperse.
NOTE: Except during Pasco County's season July 17 - 26, be sure and return to port in Hernando County.
Scallops are well camoflaged and, unlike other bivalves, are free-swimming. They swim by clapping their shells together quickly which moves a jet of water past the shell hinge, propelling it forward in a zig-zag fashion. Don't worry; it doesn't go too fast to catch.
Now that you have caught and shucked your scallops, it's time to dine!
Visit Florida's Adventure Coast for scalloping and stay awhile. Several lodging options minutes from public boat ramps and marinas have boat trailer parking available.
Fun for the whole family to hunt, catch and eat; Florida bay scallops - hidden like treasure - await your summer visit.
Photo Credits: Scalloping with the Bethea family for a UF/IFAS Extension Calendar. UF/IFAS Photos by Dawn McKinstry and Tyler Jones.
Photo Credit: Keith Kolasa, Hernando County Aquatics Manager