Rare Natural Phenomenon Seen on Alabama Coast Only Occurs in Two Places on Earth

"They came right up to the beach, at the edge of the water. I've never seen anything like it and probably won't ever again." That's what Huntsville resident, Dee Johnson said after a recent trip to the Alabama Coast. Dee and his family witnessed one of the most rare coastal phenomena in the world.

JubileePhoto byGulf Shores Tourism Board

The rare event that Dee Johnston witnessed is what locals in Mobile Bay call a "Jubilee." When conditions are just right, marine life that normally inhabits the deepest waters of Mobile Bay rushes to the shallow water of the shoreline. What follows has often been called a "swarm" of marine life at the water's edge. It often includes fish, crabs, shrimp, eels, stingrays, and more. Sometimes a Jubilee has only fish or shrimp, but often it's a mixed bag of deep-sea life.

The only other place in the world where this rare natural phenomenon has been documented is in Japan. The Jubilee that Dee Johnston and his family witnessed in Alabama occurred on June 15th near Point Clear and was covered by Outdoor Life Magazine. Locals said that it was one of the biggest Jubilees witnessed in a very long time. The video below was taken at the recent Jubilee and featured on YouTube by Outdoor Life Magazine.

A Jubilee takes place when the deep water of the bay becomes oxygen poor. That causes the deep water creatures to come to the surface of the water in search of more oxygen. The strange gathering of sealife can last from two to four hours and sometimes cover miles along Mobile Bay. There are other factors that contribute to a Jubilee. According to the City of Fairhope, Alabama's website,

For a jubilee to take place, a very specific set of conditions must exist. They usually only occur in the summer, usually in the morning before sunrise. The previous day’s weather conditions must include an overcast or cloudy day, a gentle wind from the east, and a calm and slick bay surface. Also, a rising tide is necessary; a change to a falling tide will stop the jubilee. It takes a combination of all these conditions to produce the phenomenon. - City of Fairhope, Al.

In decades past, a Jubilee was an event that locals watched for with great anticipation. Along the rows of beach houses and bungalows on the Mobile Bay shoreline, bells rang out along with shouts of, "Jubilee! Jubilee!" Because the marine life is starved of oxygen when they hit the shoreline, they move very slowly The fish can easily be picked up by hand, gigged, or scooped up in nets or buckets.

For many decades, a Jubilee meant a free-for-all seafood catch. It wasn't unusual to see people load the beds of pickup trucks with fish, crabs, and shrimp. Because of a decline in the population of many of the fish, especially flounder, today's catches are limited, and the rules of the Alabama Department of Fish and Wildlife must be followed. That includes having a valid Alabama Saltwater Fishing License and following designated limits. More information can be found on the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism Website.

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