![The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Florida Sea Grant Extension in Santa Rosa and Escambia counties needs volunteers with boats and snorkelers to participate in a citizen science survey for scallops in the Pensacola Bay System. [Special to the Press Gazette]](http://127.0.0.1/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ghows-DA-4fde5992-2901-063e-e053-0100007f06ed-ffee4714.jpeg)
MILTON — Do you snorkel? Or have a boat, canoe or kayak and want to help determine if there are scallops in the Santa Rosa Sound and Big Lagoon?
Then you may enjoy the third annual Santa Rosa Sound and Big Lagoon Great Scallop Search. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Florida Sea Grant Extension in Santa Rosa and Escambia counties needs volunteers with boats and snorkelers to participate in a citizen science survey for scallops in the Pensacola Bay System.
Two searches will be held in Santa Rosa Sound and Big Lagoon, June 24 and Aug. 5, from 8 a.m. until noon each day. Volunteers will work in teams of three or four to conduct surveys in 50-meter transects in assigned grids. This is a non-harvest event.
The Florida Sea Grant will provide survey supplies; volunteers will need to provide their own snorkeling gear. Registration is required, as equipment is limited.
For the Santa Rosa Sound Survey, contact Chris Verlinde, 623-3868 or chrismv@ufl.edu.
For the Big Lagoon Survey, contact Rick O'Connor, 475-5230 or roc1@ufl.edu.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Great Scallop Search kicks off June 24