Bay scallops (Argopecten irradians) were once abundant in the nearshore marine environment of western Florida. In recent years, however, many of the local populations that comprise the purported bay scallop metapopulation in Florida have collapsed, resulting in closure of the commercial fishery and implementation of severe restrictions on recreational harvest. Hypothesized causes of that collapse include overfishing, habitat degradation and increased prevalence of red tide, but the exact cause is unknown. We are attempting to restore scallop populations in Florida by planting cultured scallops in selected areas, but we are taking a stepwise approach to scallop restoration by first assessing the feasibility of this strategy before initiating a full-blown restoration effort. This experimental approach consists of first developing a thorough baseline of information concerning the local abundance and relative rates of recruitment in natural populations. We then spawn small groups of scallops for which we identify a unique mitochondrial marker. The resultant (genetically identifiable) broods are planted in cages within the location from which the parent stock was collected. We monitor the growth, survival, and reproductive development of each brood. Additionally, we employ artificial collectors to obtain juvenile scallops that are returned to the laboratory for genetic analysis. This allows us to estimate the proportional representation of cultured scallops in the recruiting population. Finally, we sample adult populations both at the planting site and at other sites throughout western Florida, to estimate the proportional representation of cultured scallops in the following adult year-class. If cultured scallops comprise a significant proportion of the subsequent year-class, or if we observe increased scallop abundance relative to background levels, then we will consider implementing a large scale restoration effort. If experimental enhancement fails, then we must assume that the causative factors of the collapse remain and must be mitigated before initiating full-scale restoration.