The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has temporarily halted the recreational bay scallop harvest in the Pasco zone, covering all state waters south of the Hernando-Pasco county line and north of the Anclote Key Lighthouse in northern Pinellas County, including the Anclote River.
The closure, which was ordered Wednesday, is due to the presence of Pyrodinium bahamense at levels exceeding safe thresholds. Pyrodinium bahamense is a species of bioluminescent, which glows when touched. It secretes a potent neurotoxin called saxitoxin, which was also detected in the Pasco zone at unsafe levels as determined by the National Shellfish Sanitation Program.
The zone may reopen for scallop harvesting if tests show levels have dropped to safe limits. There is no guarantee that will happen before the regular season ends, as the season in the Pasco zone is set to expire Aug. 18.
While the Pasco zone is closed, others remain open, including in Gulf waters along Levy, Citrus and Hernando counties until Sept. 24, in the Suwannee River and Fenholloway zone until Labor Day, and in the Franklin/Northwest Taylor and Gulf County zones until Sept. 24.
Bag limits are in place in zones that remain open. In the Fenholloway and Suwannee River zone, recreational scallopers can take one gallon of whole bay scallops in-shell or one cup of shucked scallops, per person, with a five-gallon or two-pint limit in place per vessel.
In all other zones, individuals can collect up to two gallons of whole scallops or one pint of scallop meat, with a maximum of 10 gallons of whole scallops or a 1/2-gallon of scallop meat.
FWC requests that scallopers not discard shells in inshore waters commonly used for recreational activities, such as in the Homosassa River or Crystal River. Piles of discarded shells can damage seagrass habitat and create hazards for swimmers, the agency cautions. Scallopers are permitted to discard scallops in larger bodies of water, such as the Gulf, where they can more easily disperse.
Recreational harvesters need a Florida saltwater fishing license to harvest bay scallops unless they are exempt or have a no-cost shoreline fishing license and are wading to collect scallops.
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