Bay scallops surge on Virginia's Eastern Shore

Bay scallops surge on Virginia's Eastern Shore

Virginia's bay scallop population is experiencing an unprecedented resurgence, thanks to years of dedicated restoration work led by the Batten School & VIMS Eastern Shore Laboratory (ESL) in Wachapreague. Once locally extinct due to habitat loss, bay scallops are now multiplying exponentially in the restored eelgrass meadows of the Eastern Shore's southern coastal bays, possibly setting the stage for a future recreational fishery.