A release from Friends of St. Andrew Bay:

The Friends of St. Andrew Bay (FSAB) and the Resource Management Association (RMA) will host Dr. Steve Geiger of the Florida Marine Institute as he presents “Status of Bay Scallops (Argopecten irradians)  in Florida West Coast Waters.”  Dr. Geiger’s presentation will address his research on the trends and status of the Florida Bay Scallop population along our shores, and factors that may be affecting our scallop population.   Dr. Geiger will also discuss scallop restoration conducted over the last three years in St. Andrew Bay, Pine Island Sound, and Tampa Bay.

Dr. Geiger, an Associate Research Scientist in the Marine Fisheries Research section of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, is in charge of monitoring the shellfish population along Florida’s Gulf Coast. His work focuses on shellfish monitoring and restoration, primarily with scallops, hard clams, and oysters.  Ongoing projects regarding scallops include an annual survey of bay scallop abundance, bay scallop restoration, and surveys of the distribution of offshore calico scallops.

Dr. Geiger’s presentation will be held on Thursday, September 25, at 6:30 PM, at the Gulf Coast Community College Student Union East Conference Center. For more information, contact Jim Barkuloo at the RMA at 763-1820 or, FSAB at 215-5590.