Photo by Becca McCoy
It’s scallop season in Florida, and on Aug. 2, hundreds of people gathered at Fort DeSoto in pursuit of the bivalve mollusks. But this gathering was not for recreational harvesting – you have to head further north up the coast for that. Last Saturday’s event was the 30th Annual Great Bay Scallop Search.
First held in 1993, this annual volunteer-driven survey is one of Tampa Bay Watch’s (TBW) flagship initiatives. It supports TBW’s efforts to foster a healthy local watershed. Nicknamed “underwater canaries” (as in “the canary in the coal mine”), bay scallops serve as indicators. Just as a canary’s double-breathing (taking in oxygen on both their inhale and exhale) makes them extra-susceptible to toxins in the air, so are bay scallops. They filter feeders and extremely sensitive to contaminated water.
Photo by Becca McCoy
They also need healthy seagrass for habitat. Because they breathe through gills, they can suffocate on too much loose sediment. The presence, and health, of bay scallops is an essential tool. The counts help monitor the health of the Tampa Bay ecosystem.
Scallop History in Tampa Bay
Prior to the 1960s, people harvested bay scallops in the Tampa Bay estuary. But then the scallop population disappeared — likely due to overharvesting, loss of seagrass, and poor water quality from industrial waste. By the early 1990s, conditions improved enough to sustain a modest bay scallop population. That’s when annual searches began. The count varies each year. Why? Red tides, other algal blooms, hurricanes, heavy rainfall, predation from rays and sharks, and both water temperature and quality all impact scallops.
Photo by Becca McCoy
The reported counts range from a low in 2005 of one, to a high in 2009 of 674. Last year, the event recorded the highest scallop population count in 15 years, with 263 scallops found in the search zone. (In 2015, the search found 233 scallops.)
Volunteers pre-registered by boat, kayak, or as snorkelers (who would get assigned to a boat). Tampa Bay Watch, in partnership with the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, provided the tools and instructions to survey each designated site. Richard Radigan, Oyster Shell Program Manager for Tampa Bay Watch, and Peter Clark, the organization’s Founder and President, oversaw the program.
“This is literally our longest-running community monitoring program,” said Clark. “This is a long-term database and something that’ll be going on for a long, long time, because it’s a solid indicator. The science is there, and we know the people and the passion are there to continue the program.”
Photo courtesy of Tampa Bay Watch
About Bay Scallops
Bay scallops are a soft-bodied invertebrate. The animal lives inside a two-part hinged shell, but unlike their fellow bivalve mollusks (oysters, clams, and mussels), they swim freely. Short tentacles line the rim of their iconic fan-shaped shell, as do 30-40 bright blue eyes. Those eyes allow them to discern movement and shadows.
When scallops detect potential predators they clap their shells together. That forces water from the cavity between the shell halves and propels them away from danger. Florida’s bay scallops remain small – around 2-3 inches in diameter. They have a lifespan of roughly one year. These hermaphroditic animals can produce millions of eggs at once. But there’s a staggering statistic: Approximately one egg in 12 million will reach adulthood.
Photo by Becca McCoy
So, for many volunteers, not only is searching for bay scallops an exercise in gathering vital data, it’s a fun challenge. Bay scallops are elusive, mobile, and rare.
“I find it incredibly rewarding when you do find one. Unfortunately, I didn’t find any this year, but I found one last year, and I will come out every year because it’s an incredible event with wonderful people and great volunteers,” Tampa Bay Watch Board Member Carol Marks told The Gabber Newspaper.
Photo by Becca McCoy
Scallop Counts Down From 2024
Marks wasn’t the only volunteer to come up empty this year: the total scallop count for 2025 was 43, down a fair amount from last year’s 263.
“Whether it’s a hurricane, or an industrial spill in the Bay, or backyard stormwater runoff from our neighborhoods, or wastewater treatment plants — it’s all a matter of dialing back the nutrients so that we have good water quality,” said Clark. “Good light going through the water to the seagrass beds and getting those seagrasses to grow will continue to improve water quality. It’s a cycle, and you want to be on the good side of the cycle.”
“The health of scallops is also the health of Tampa Bay,” Clark added, “so whatever we can do to help improve conditions in Tampa Bay not only benefits scallops, but they’re gonna benefit a lot of other resources in the Bay.”
Photo by Becca McCoy
To get involved at Tampa Bay Watch and support their efforts to restore and preserve our local ecosystems, visit tampabaywatch.org.
We’re the calm during the storm. No hype, only help!
Bookmark The Gabber Newspaper’s storm coverage page for quick access to relevant tropical storm updates. No hype, no guessing, just updates on shelters, sandbags, and closures. And sign up for text alerts to get real-time guidance and prep advice when there’s a named storm heading our way. Also, check out our downtown Gulfport and beach web cams.
