Scalloping season is reopening Saturday in the waters off Pasco County.
This comes after the Pasco Zone closed its recreational harvesting in August. This happened for the second year in a row due to a toxic algae bloom.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the zone will be reopened from Sept. 6 through Sept. 21. The season initially started on July 10 but was scheduled to close Aug. 18 before the FWC detected an organism that can produce neurotoxins.
ALSO READ: Scalloping season is temporarily closed in the Pasco Zone
The area for harvesting includes state waters south of the Hernando-Pasco county line and north of the Anclote Key Lighthouse in northern Pinellas County. This encompasses the Anclote River.
The FWC is continuing to monitor the scallop and water samples. Out of caution, it is recommended that you only consume the scallop muscle and not the roe or whole scallop, officials said.
WUSF's Lily Belcher previously reported that if shellfish contaminated with the algae Pyrodinium bahamense are consumed, it can lead to Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning, which can cause numbness, dizziness, nausea and respiratory distress.
Even during the closure, the water was safe to swim in. People just couldn't eat scallops because when they suck in the water, the toxin becomes more concentrated inside them.
Megan Moore, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences agent for Pasco County, said that the toxin released by the algae is also heat-resistant.
“These toxins do not present themselves in any type of flavor or smell, so there's no way to know if they are present,” she said back in August.
For more information or updates, go to the FWC's website on scallops. If you want a saltwater recreational fishing license, visit Go Outdoors Florida's website.
WUSF's Lily Belcher contributed to this report.
