A shell of its former self.

• Position: Eastern - Bay scallop to be protected. - Brief article - Statistical data

It's not easy being a bay scallop in Bogue Sound--or anywhere else along North Carolina's coast. In 1987 and '88, a bloom of toxin-exuding red algae killed 20% of the adults in the sound, and subsequent hurricanes washed away vegetation and salinity the shellfish require. Their number fell so low that in 2005 the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries closed the fishery from Beaufort to the South Carolina line. It reopened Jan. 28-April 1, but restrictions kept the catch small to protect the recovering population. The 2013 take, about 1,300 pounds, is a fraction of historic hauls--Tar Heel fishermen led the nation with 1.4 million pounds in 1928. But limited supply is driving up prices. A gallon of mollusk morsels--only the adductor muscle is eaten--once went for...