In the 1960s, Bay scallops were abundant in the Sarasota Bay. Since then their numbers have grown scarce, but the local community is looking to change that.
People in the community are working with scientists to rebuild the population, so they put on snorkels and dove into Sarasota Bay to count scallops.
Over the years, dredging and pollutants have nearly wiped out scallops, which is why Sarasota Bay Watch has been raising thousands of dollars to put more scallops into the bay.
Once a year they work with the community to search the bay for scallops and count how many survive. This year, they found 40, a big number considering last year they only found 11.
Sarasota Bay Watch is working with Mote Marine Laboratory as their scientists keep a close eye on the findings. Both organizations say scallops are vital to the local ecosystem.
"They are part of the natural food chain and they should be here," Sarasota Bay Watch president Larry Stults said. "They are part of the ecosystem."
Jim Culter, a senior scientist at Mote Marine Laboratory, said the scallops act as a natural filtration system for the bay.
"They filter a lot of the plankton out of the water so they help keep bay water clear, as all shellfish do," he said. "They actually filter feed more water than oysters."
This year Sarasota Bay Watch put 26 million baby scallops into the bay, so hopefully by next year's search, they will find that a greater number survived to adulthood.