THE JUBILEE . . .
If you're very lucky, on no particular
summer's morn, you may get to experience the unusual phenomenon called
"Jubilee." This is when fish, crabs, shrimp, and other sea
creatures "come to the beach." Sleepy-eyed residents rush to
the shore, armed with the necessary equipment . . . gigs, nets, and
laundry baskets to scoop up the delicacies to fill their boiling pots
and freezers.
Jubilees usually occur between June and September, but the conditions
must be just right. Along a 15 mile stretch of the Eastern Shore of
Mobile Bay, the direction of the wind, the tide, temperature as well
as the previous day's weather all combine to produce this event. It is
believed that the phenomenon is caused when poorly oxygenated bottom
waters rise upward, causing marine life to move ashore. Although
several theories have been proposed, no one theory is conclusive.
AREA MAP