Introduction The bay scallop (Argopecten irradians) was once common in the lower portions of the Pensacola Bay system. However, by 1970 they were all but gone. Closely associated with seagrass, especially turtle grass (Thalassia testudinum), ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural ResourcesI remember scalloping when I was young. We traveled to Port St. Joe Florida and camped at a local fish camp. We pitched our tent right at the edge of the water, which was a mistake because we felt the bumps and movements of the fiddler crabs ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources
As I write this, we are in the middle of our 2023 Scallop Search, an event we do each year to assess whether the scallops in Pensacola Bay are trying to make a comeback on their own. Each year I am amazed at how popular this little mollusk ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural ResourcesIntroduction The bay scallop (Argopecten irradians) was once a common bivalve in the lower portion of Pensacola Bay. Found in the thick grassbeds of Big Lagoon and Santa Rosa Sound, it provided both a recreational and commercial fishery ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural ResourcesWe round out National Estuaries Week with an article about yet another marine animal that was once common in lower Pensacola Bay and disappeared. This is one that many local residents would LOVE to see make a return. It is the bay scallop. Many ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural ResourcesScallops… We used to find them here. I have heard stories of folks who could fill a 5-gallon bucket with them in about 30 minutes right by Morgan Park. An old shrimper told me that back in the day when shrimping in Santa Rosa Sound ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources
One of the programs I focus on as a Sea Grant Extension Agent in Escambia County is restoring the health of our estuary. One of the projects in that program is increasing the encounters with estuarine animals that were once common. Currently ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural ResourcesIt goes without saying that 2020 was a tough year – and one of the projects that suffered was the annual GREAT SCALLOP SEARCH. This was to be our fifth annual event but COVID and constant threat of tropical storms reduced our ability to get ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural ResourcesMany people enjoy scallops. Just as many enjoy scalloping. It is a great Florida family activity where everyone gets to snorkel in relatively shallow – safe waters. You explore the grassbeds for a myriad of cool marine creatures yelling ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural ResourcesFor the last four years, Florida Sea Grant has held a "GREAT SCALLOP SEARCH" in Santa Rosa Sound and Big Lagoon to determine the status of this popular recreational fishery in our bay. Though we do not find many, we continue to look in hopes ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources