Good Morning Lady Doris, Very good cal there with the 30 miles across thing
. the evidence for this was in 1997 when Marco Island covered with calico
scallops. It seems there was either a natural die-off or a shoal of scallops
was too close to shore and was cast upon the beach after a violent storm .
In any event the numbers were very impressive, so many dead and dying that
someone I know who is a heavy collector filled several buckets and there
were still many left for the other collectors. To me that represented a
great loss but it 's just mother nature doing business as usual.
Strombus also seems to be cyclic, one year at one of our favorite spots
there were so many fully developed strombus alatus that to find  a"rare
purple mouth was not that difficult plus I also found an all white (don't
want to use the albino word ) specimen. the following year the same spot was
covered in only juveniles with very few adults.
Mark James & Peta Susan Bethke
3001 South Ocean Dr. Suite 4-V
Hollywood, Florida
33019-2804
U.S.A.
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Doris Underwood <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Tuesday, April 20, 1999 2:19 AM
Subject: Scallops
 
 
Last week I was on the gulf coast of Florida with the Florida Lighthouse
Assn for a tour of gulf lighthouses.  We had intended to visit Cape St.
George, but the winds made the water too rough to go to the island.  So the
boat captain took us on a tour of the Apalachicola River.  He was very
knowledgeable and in one part of his narration told about the fishing
industry.  He mentioned the 'calico scallop' stating the yield fluctuates
from year to year, that they migrate and at times
the fishermen have to go long distances.  This year, however, they were the
most plentiful seen in some time with their
'beds' THIRTY MILES ACROSS!  that's a lot of scallops!
 
Doris Underwood
Florida