Thinking about going scalloping this year?  The 2015 Florida scalloping season goes through September 24, so you still have time to plan a trip, but the REAL question is…where is the best place to go?  Year-to-year, the “hot spots” change, so we called various marinas from the harvesting area to ask how the scalloping has been so far…here’s what they have to say:

Marjorie from River Safaris in Homosassa:

“Scalloping has been good. Of course, it all depends on the people’s experience and if they’ve done it before, and how good of swimmers they are, but so far this year, people have been having great experiences. We have 15 boats and Saturdays are booked up through August 29.”

Abianna from Sea Hag Marina in Steinhatchee:

“It’s been really good this year.  Most people come in every day saying they got their limit!  The limit is 10 gallons a boat or two gallons a person, and most people have been maxing out.”

Stacy from Plantation in Crystal River:

“Scalloping has been good!  You do have to cover some ground…it’s not in all one spot. Some people get distracted and end up doing more sightseeing, but serious scallopers are getting their limits!”
So, it sounds like the scalloping success rate this year has been high! According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife report, the scallop level in the Homosassa and Steinhatchee area seems stable, but the St. Joe area (Apalachicola) has the lowest level.  If you plan on going scalloping this season, help marine biologists learn more about how many bay scallops live along Florida’s Gulf coast by submitting your bay scallop harvest data through their Web survey.  Happy harvesting!