I've been coming down five or six years and this is the worst I've seen it. Leo and Ann Blanchard of Wetumpka, Ala., have been scalloping in St. Joe Bay for four years. They freeze bags of scallops for their 14 grandchildren. They usually prepare a meal or two for themselves while camping. But scallops have been too scarce to indulge this summer.
Scallops are a delicacy.
Connoisseurs try them in a variety of seafood dishes. St. Joe Bay scallops aren't sold commercially at seafood markets or in restaurants. Seafood lovers must catch them themselves. Scallopers catch the golf ball-sized shells by boating or snorkeling. Many people wade in shin-deep water and peer onto the bay floor.