Today, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) announced a temporary closure of the recreational bay scallop harvest in the Pasco Zone. This area includes all state waters south of the Hernando-Pasco county line and north of the Anclote Key Lighthouse in northern Pinellas County, encompassing the Anclote River.
The FWC is tasked with proactively testing and acting to keep Floridians safe. This precautionary measure is necessary because saxitoxin and Pyrodinium bahamense have been detected at levels exceeding the safety thresholds established by the National Shellfish Sanitation Program. The Pasco Zone will reopen for scallop harvesting once tests show levels have decreased to safe limits.
Scallop harvesting is currently suspended in the Pasco Zone. However, the area is still open for other recreational activities, including fishing, boating, and swimming. All other scallop harvest zones continue to operate as usual.
For more information and updates, visit MyFWC.com/Scallops. Additional details on Pyrodinium can be found in the FWC Pyrodinium bahamense factsheet.