Sarasota Bay Watch surveys scallop population

Ninety-five volunteers partnered with Sarasota Bay Watch to survey scallop populations in Sarasota Bay by boat, kayak, and snorkel, swimming set lines to count specimens. Scallops serve as a living indicator of bay health — as the nonprofit's John Ryan put it, a healthy bay should turn up a lot of scallops. The survey also pointed to nitrogen pollution's toll on seagrass, though newer wastewater practices are starting to turn that decline around. No scallops were seen running down the beach in slow-motion during the survey.