Bay Scallop season in Gulf County to remain closed

 The Bay Scallop season in Gulf County will remain closed because of an naturally occurring algae bloom in the St. Joe Bay.

The bay scallop harvest was originally scheduled to begin on July 25th but was postponed after a Pseudo-nitzschia bloom was found in the St. Joe Bay.

On Monday the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said the algae bloom is still causing problems.

Pseudo-nitzschia is a naturally occurring microscopic alga that in some cases can produce domoic acid, which can negatively impact marine mammals and seabirds.

Domoic acid has been confirmed in seawater and scallop samples from St. Joseph Bay.

The algae does not harm scallops directly and shouldn’t cause scallop population declines, but can cause Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning in humans if contaminated shellfish are consumed. .

This postponement includes all state waters from the Mexico Beach Canal in Bay County through the westernmost point of St. Vincent Island in Franklin County.

State agencies will continue sampling and testing scallops and other shellfish in the bay to determine when they are safe for consumption and will continue to work with the local community to determine options on the remainder of the season. 

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