Scallop season opening day keeps officers busy

The opening day of scallop season in Gulf County was a busy one for state wildlife officers. Bay Scallop season opened on July the 1st, which brought FWC officers from Gulf and Bay counties to St. Joe Bay to make sure everyone was following the law. Officers said harvesting activity was high and scallops were plentiful. There were no major incidents on opening day but there were plenty of minor violations ranging from divers not using divers down flags people harvesting more scallops than they are allowed to. The bulk of the violations were for people without fishing licenses and ignoring boating safety rules. FWC officers issued a total of 59 citations through the day as well as 95 warnings.