August 27, 2014 — Between Tampa Bay Watch, Pine Island Sound Scallop Search and our very own Sarasota Bay Watch, the West Coast waters of Florida were covered — with scallop searchers. On Aug. 23, volunteers gathered to collect information about the survival of scallops in our waters.
Locally, Sarasota Bay Watch’s effort was part of its Scallop Restoration Program, which is going into the fourth year of the 10-year program. The level of support from the community broke records again for the organization — more than 135 volunteers woke up early on Saturday and headed to Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant & Pub.
Every year, registration for the search fills to capacity, and this year, registration soared to 135 people. In addition to individual volunteers, partnering organizations including Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota County, Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institution and Schaefer Consulting joined in the search.