Recreational bay scallop season about to close for 2011

The 2011 recreational harvest season for bay scallops, which was extended by three weeks this year, will close Monday, Sept.26, with the final day of harvesting being Sunday, Sept. 25.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), in support of Gov. Rick Scott and the Cabinet, extended the season to help relieve Florida fishing communities on the Gulf of Mexico suffering from possible economic hardships due to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

The season, which began June 25 this year, usually runs July 1 through Sept. 10.

Biologists with the FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute’s Molluscan Fisheries research group have been gathering harvest information from the public via an online survey at http://svy.mk/bayscallops and will continue to do so through the end of the month. Additional scallop harvesting information and questions about the survey can be emailed to BayScallops@MyFWC.com.

More information on bay scallops is available online at MyFWC.com/Fishing (click on "Regulations" under "Saltwater Fishing"). Information about scallop research is available at MyFWC.com/Research/Saltwater under the "Mollusc" section.

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