A total of five scallops found

From Tampa Bay Watch:
Thank you to the 150 volunteer snorkelers who participated in the Great Bay Scallop Search on Saturday, September 10th who surveyed 10,400 square meters of seagrasses for the elusive Bay scallop!

A total of five scallops were found in lower portions of Tampa Bay around Fort De Soto Park. Despite the low count, volunteers reported the water to be surprisingly clear for all the rain in the previous week. Seagrasses were thick and lush with three different varieties: Manatee, Shoal and Turtle grasses. Volunteers also saw a wide variety of marine life in the areas surveyed including mollusks, flounder, sea stars, horseshoe crabs, cownose rays, sheepshead, manatees, bonnethead and blacktip sharks - indicating a healthy ecosystem and good water quality. Scallops are a sensitive species and a wide variety of conditions need to fall into place for them to thrive. The low number of scallops found is no indication that the scallop population cannot grow again in the future.