Recreational fisheries pose threat to skittish sea turtles

Every summer, thousands of amateur scallopers flock to the warm coastal waters of Florida’s Crystal River region, anchor their boats and reap the delicious bounty of the state’s largest recreational bay scallop fishery. For these seasonal anglers, the toothsome morsels are well worth the two- or three-meter dive. But new research from scientists at Florida State University suggests that scallop harvesting — and recreational fishing generally — may come at a cost for the vulnerable sea turtles that live and forage in these shallow seas.