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Scalloping is one of the easier ways to get your family in the water during a Florida summer. You snorkel over shallow grass flats, pick scallops off the bottom by hand, and fill a mesh bag with dinner. Before you launch the boat, though, there are rules you need to know, both for taking scallops and for keeping people in the water safe from passing boats. Here are the steinhatchee scalloping rules for boaters, laid out so you can plan a trip without a run-in with the law.
When & Where You Can Scallop
Florida runs scalloping on a zone by zone calendar, and the dates change every year, so you have to check the current season before you go.
Steinhatchee sits in the Fenholloway through the Suwannee Rivers Zone. For 2026, that zone is open from June 15 through Labor Day, with a lower bag limit during the opening window from June 15 through June 30. Dates shift from year to year, so confirm them on the FWC bay scallop page before you launch. Scallops live in shallow grass flats, usually in four to eight feet of water, so you will be working the flats off the mouth of the Steinhatchee River rather than deep water.
Bag Limits You Have to Follow
The limits protect the scallop population, and the officers on the water do check, so know your numbers before you head out.
Each person may take two gallons of whole scallops in the shell, or one pint of scallop meat. A single vessel may carry no more than ten gallons of whole scallops in the shell, or a half gallon of meat, which works out to four pints. One more point catches people off guard, since the vessel limit does not let any single person go over the personal limit. In plain terms, a boat carrying five people reaches the vessel cap, while a boat with two people is held to their two personal limits rather than the full vessel amount.
Licenses & Legal Gear
You need a Florida saltwater fishing license to take scallops, unless you fall under an exemption. If you are wading from shore rather than working from a boat, a no-cost shoreline fishing license covers you. Charters usually cover the license for their guests, so ask when you book a guide. As for gear, you may only gather scallops by hand or with a dip net. Snorkel gear such as a mask, snorkel, and fins is all you need to spot and collect them, since scalloping happens in shallow water.
Diver-Down Rules That Keep Everyone Safe
This is the part that matters most for boaters, because a person in the water is hard to see and easy to hit. Florida law requires a diver-down warning device any time someone is snorkeling or in the water with a mask.
Displaying the Flag or Buoy
The diver-down symbol is a red flag or square with a white diagonal stripe. A flag flown from a boat must be at least 20 inches by 24 inches and displayed at the highest point of the vessel, where it can be seen from every direction. If you use a buoy in the water instead, it must be at least 12 inches on each side, have three or four flat sides showing the symbol, and float on its own rather than being flown from the boat. The flag must be built to stay unfurled even with no wind, so a limp flag on a still day does not meet the rule.
Distances for People in the Water & Boaters
Anyone in the water needs to stay within 300 feet of the flag in open water, and within 100 feet on rivers, inlets, and channels. Boaters have the matching duty, since they must stay at least 300 feet away from a flag in open water and at least 100 feet away in rivers, inlets, and channels. Any boat coming closer than those distances has to slow to idle speed. When everyone is back aboard, the flag or buoy must come down, since flying it with no one in the water is against the rules.
Setting Up a Scalloping Trip from Steinhatchee
Steinhatchee makes an easy base for a scalloping trip, with a marina and a public boat ramp close to the flats. Many families turn it into a few days on the water, launching in the morning and cleaning their catch in the afternoon. A spot like Privacy RV campground resort of Steinhatchee sits within a short walk of the Sea Hag Marina, which puts your rig close to the ramp and lets you keep the boat nearby between outings. Basing yourself near the launch means you can catch the calm morning water instead of towing in from an hour away.
A Few Tips for a Better Day
Pick a bright, sunny day near low or slack tide, since clear, calm water makes scallops easier to spot on the bottom. Bring a mesh bag for your catch and a cooler with ice to keep the scallops fresh until you shuck them. Swim with the current rather than against it, because floating over the grass saves energy and helps you cover more ground. Keep your flag with you as you drift, so you never stray outside the distance the law requires. Watch for other boats as well, since a busy weekend during scallop season puts a lot of traffic on the flats.
Scalloping is one of the most family friendly things you can do on Florida’s Gulf coast, and the rules are easy to follow once you know them. Check the current season, mind the bag limits, carry the right license, and fly your flag whenever someone is in the water. Do those things and you can spend the day filling a bag and still get everyone home safe.
