Scallop season on pause in this Florida county. What toxins prompted the FWC move

Hold up, Pasco County scallopers. Your season has been paused, for now.

Officials with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission announced Wednesday that the agency was temporarily shutting down recreational bay scallop harvesting along the Pasco Zone due to unsafe toxins found in the water.

"All harvest of bay scallops from the Pasco Zone is hereby prohibited," FWC Executive Director Roger Young said in the executive order . The pause is effective immediately and runs through the rest of the scallop season for the Pasco Zone unless testing shows "levels have decreased and reopening is warranted."

All other scallop harvest zones continue to operate as usual, the FWC said.

Here's what you need to know.

Why was scallop season closed in Pasco County, Florida?

Tests found saxitoxin and Pyrodinium bahamanse at levels exceeding the safety thresholds established by the National Shellfish Sanitation Program, the FWC said.

What is Pyrodinium bahamense or saxitoxin?

Pyrodinium bahamense is a dinoflagellate that blooms regularly in Florida coastal waters, including Tampa Bay, Florida Bay and the Indian River Lagoon, the FWC said . It creates beautiful bioluminescent displays, but it also produces Paralytic Shellfish Toxins, including saxitoxin.

Shellfish contaminated with PSP can cause numbness and tingling of the mouth and/or lips, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, respiratory distress, drowsiness, loss of body movement control, headache, tingling sensations in the face and/or extremities, muscle weakness, and incoherent speech as soon as 15 minutes after it's eaten.

"Saxitoxins have no flavor, smell or color, and cannot be destroyed through cooking," the FWC said. "The best way to stay safe is to not consume shellfish from the closed area."

Is it safe to eat scallops that have already been harvested?

If you harvested scallops from the Pasco Zone on Monday, July 22, or later, the FWC recommends you throw them out .

If you harvested scallops from the Pasco Zone between July 15 and July 21, the FWC recommends you dispose of them or just eat the muscle instead of the whole scallop.

Is it safe to eat fish caught in the Pasco Zone?

Fish caught in the Pasco Zone — except for pufferfish — are safe to eat if the fish is filleted first, the FWC said.

Are any other scalloping regions in Florida closed?

All other regions remain open but they are also being tested.

Scallopers are still permitted to harvest scallops in other regions and travel through the closed area.

Is it safe to swim in the waters off Pasco County?

The FWC said it is safe to swim, just don't eat scallops harvested from the area.

When is scallop season in Florida?

• St. Joseph Bay and Gulf County : Aug. 16-Sept. 24
• Franklin County through northwestern Taylor County (including Carrabelle, Lanark and St. Marks) : July 1 through Sept. 24
• Fenholloway through Suwannee Rivers Zone (including Keaton Beach and the Steinhatchee area) : June 15 through Labor Day
• Levy, Citrus and Hernando counties (including Cedar Key, Crystal River and Homosassa) : July 1 through Sept. 24
• Pasco Zone : Closed effective July 24, 2024

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Scallop season on pause in this Florida county. What toxins prompted the FWC move