NORTH FLORIDA FOCUS JULY 26-27, 2006, PAGE 5C


Summer Harvest


Scalloping in Taylor County Coastal Waters


 Taylor County is one of the
few places in Florida where
you can harvest your own
scallops. You'll .find scallop-,
ing opportunities along .our
entire coastline, including
Keaton Beach, Hagen's Cove
and Steinhatchee. This
unique activity is fun for the
whole family and requires
minimal resources to get
start- -.a


 ed.
 It's relatively simple, and
after spending an afternoon in


the water searching out scal-
lops, you can enjoy the fruits
of your labor that evening for
supper.
 Scallop season runs July 1
through Sept. '10. Basically,
the only materials you need
for scalloping are a snorkel
mask, fins (or water shoes)
and a mesh bag
 to hold
 your
 catch.
 O n c e
 you' re
 geared
 u p
 you'll
 .need a
 boat to
 take
 you
 out, a
 dil her's flag to
snorkel in the water and a
recreational saltwater fishing
license to keep things legal


(the license is relatively inex-
pensive and easy to acquire).
 Whether you jump on a
boat with a friend or rent your
own', steer the watercraft out
of the river, away from fresh
water and into the grass flats.
Scallops congregate in shal-
low water hidden in manatee
and turtle grass. If you see a
large group of boats in a cer-
tain area, chances are they've
found a "sweet spot" with lots
of scallops. You should have
some luck around the same
vicinity. If you see one scal-
lop shell, there's bound to be
more around. (Hint: Before
you head out, ask around to
find out where the hot spots
are for the season. Word trav-
els fast in a small town, so
most of the locals who hang
out around the docks and the'
marina employees should be
in the know.)
 Of course, not everyone an-


swe'rs the call of open waters.
Those who aren't yet ready to
test their sea legs should try
their luck at Hagen's Cove,
\\here ',ou can join hundreds
of other landlubbeis Wading
into shallow waters in search
of scallops.
 After you've pulled in your
fair -share (the limit is two
gallons of whole scallops or
one pint of meat per person;
10 gallons of whole scallops
or 1/2 gallon of meat per
boat), head back to shore to
get them cleaned. Before you
begin the task of cleaning
your catch, be sure to get
some instruction. to help
move things along. You might
have thought it easy enough
to get them out of the water,
but it's not so simple getting
scallops to come out of their
shells. What you'll need: a
place to set up shop (most
marinas have ample facili-


ties), a knife or other sharp
flat object to open the shell, a
spoon to scoop out the scal-
lop and a container to hold
the meat. Although it caii tke
up to three hours to cleat! a
boat's linit of scallops, most
folks find that the time passes
much faster with, a little mu-
sic, a few cool drinks and lots
of good friends.
 Should
y, o u
t ak e
t h e
eas s
way
out
and
miss
all
the
ex-


cite :n e n .
there are.usually a few locals


hanging around the docks that
will do your dirty work for
you. They typically charge a
small fee, usually $3.50 -
$4.50/pint. Whatever means
you choose, the outcome \\II
be the same a delicious meal
of succulent scallops that you
caught yourself.
 All material 2002 by the
Taylor 'County Toursim De-
velopment Council.


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