Port St. Joe & Cape San Blas

Status for 2027: not announced. The zone was closed for all of 2026. FWC has not said whether it will open in 2027.

Standard season: August 16 through September 24

Daily limit: 2 gallons in the shell or 1 pint of meat per person; 10 gallons or 1/2 gallon of meat per boat

Where It Is

The Gulf County Zone covers all state waters from the Mexico Beach Canal in Bay County east to the westernmost point of St. Vincent Island in Franklin County, including all of St. Joseph Bay.

It's the westernmost scallop zone in Florida and the only place you can scallop in the Panhandle west of Franklin County.

What Makes It Different

• It opens last. The season starts August 16, about six weeks after most zones.
• It's a protected bay. St. Joseph Bay is sheltered by the St. Joseph Peninsula, so it's calmer than open Gulf flats on a windy day.
• It's a main fishing ground. St. Joseph Bay is one of Florida's three main bay scallop grounds.
• It's had a rough two years. FWC closed the 2025 season early and kept 2026 closed entirely (details below).

Towns & Ramps

• Port St. Joe: the main town on the bay. Frank Pate Park has the city boat ramp.
• Cape San Blas and St. Joseph Peninsula: St. Joseph Peninsula State Park has the only public boat launch on the peninsula, and it's one of the best ways onto the bay.
• Indian Pass: at the zone's east end near St. Vincent Island.
• Mexico Beach: waters east of the canal are in the zone.

Check fees and hours with each ramp before you go.

Typical Conditions

• Seagrass flats inside the bay. Look for clear water about 4 to 8 feet deep.
• Late August and September are hot, with afternoon storms common. Go early.
• Watch for algae advisories. The 2025 closure came after toxin-producing algae were detected in the bay.

How the 2026 Season Went

It never opened. On August 13, 2026, three days before the scheduled opening, FWC closed the Gulf County Zone for the entire 2026 season.

• Why: a summer 2026 survey by FWC's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute found very low scallop abundance in St. Joseph Bay. FWC called the closure a precaution, to give the remaining scallops a better chance to spawn and support future seasons.
• Red tide: FWC also cited the impacts of a prolonged red tide in Gulf County coastal waters from October through December 2025, during scallop spawning and larval settlement.
• What it covered: no harvest, no landing, and no possessing scallops in or on Gulf County Zone waters. The closure ended at 12:01 a.m. on September 25, 2026.
• What stayed open: fishing, boating and swimming.

The Year Before

The 2025 season opened August 16 as scheduled. On September 4, 2025, FWC closed the rest of it after detecting the toxin-producing algae Pseudo-nitzschia and Pyrodinium bahamense, alongside a state shellfish harvest closure that included St. Joseph Bay.

What to Expect in 2027

Nothing is announced yet. If FWC takes no action, the standard dates of August 16 through September 24 apply. FWC said it will work with the community on restoration and keep monitoring the bay.

Bay scallops in Florida rarely live much past a year, so each season depends on the previous fall's spawn. Plan a backup in an open zone to the east, and check back. We'll update this page as soon as FWC announces anything.