The guide is a companion to the popular boat ramp and marina locator map for Citrus County.
Scallopers, rejoice! Just in time for the start of the 2012 scalloping season, Florida Sea Grant has published the boat ramp and marina locator map, “Recreational Harvesting of the Florida Bay Scallop: Steinhatchee and Keaton Beach Areas.”
Inside, viewers will find a full-color map identifying access routes to the boat ramps and marinas in southern Taylor County near Steinhatchee and Keaton Beach.
Fred Vose, the Taylor County Sea Grant extension agent who authored the publication, has included the latest educational information about scallops and scalloping, the recommended equipment scallopers will want to bring, and a few tasty recipes for preparing Florida’s best summertime catch.
The information helps Floridians and visitors appreciate the important role these secretive bivalves play in a healthy near-shore environment, according to Vose. He mentions these nuggets of information:
- Scallops are simultaneous ‘hermaphrodites,’ which means they can spawn as either males or females. A single scallop can produce more than one million eggs per spawn.
- The scallop population in the Steinhatchee area is a core, stable population that supports a healthy, sustained crop almost every year, and is the principal source of scallops for outlying populations extending far to the south and north.
- Though not required by current fishing regulations, researchers now recommend that scallops smaller than 1 1/2 inches in diameter should not be collected.
Free copies of the ramp and marina locator map for Steinhatchee and Keaton Beach are available in numerous marinas throughout Taylor County, the Taylor County IFAS Extension office in Perry, or by contacting Florida Sea Grant, info@flseagrant.org, (352) 392-2801.
