Jubilees in Alabama on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay

The Eastern Shore already holds a lot of appeal for potential residents, with numerous small towns just minutes from Mobile and under an hour away from the Gulf of Mexico. What many people may not realize is that the Eastern Shore is also the site of a natural phenomenon that has been a cause for celebration since it was first recorded in the 1860s. Locally known as a jubilee, each year an upward movement of oxygen in Mobile Bay forces thousands of bottom-dwelling fish and crustaceans up to much shallower waters. This can happen in an area as small as a 500-foot stretch of shore or, as has happened, over a stretch of fifteen miles reaching from Daphne to Mullet Point (most people believe jubilees of this size only happen in Mobile Bay and Tokyo, Japan). A lack of oxygen retards the movement of these fish, crabs, and shrimp, making them ridiculously easy for anyone to catch. The event lures hundreds of people to the shore, all of which have the chance to go home with buckets full of halibut or shrimp.
            What conditions make this phenomenon possible? First of all, they mostly only occur during the hot summer months. The day before a jubilee is usually overcast and cloudy with a slight breeze and the surface of the Bay is very calm and smooth. The tide must be rising for it to occur and a falling tide will prevent it from happening. In order to take full advantage of the jubilee, you must get there well before dawn. While this event might sound rare, it’s actually more rare for a summer to pass without one occurring and most summers see several between June and September. Keep your eye out for predicted jubilees along the Eastern Shore during the summer and come ready with buckets to take advantage of this truly unique event!

Want a front-row seat for a future jubilee?  Check out these Eastern Shores Homes on Mobile Bay.