The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) is inviting members of the Alabama shrimping industry and the public to weigh in on a new shrimp fishery management plan. The agency’s Marine Resources Division will host two listening sessions in November to collect input from stakeholders before the plan is finalized.

“The Alabama shrimp fishery is undergoing an external certification process to demonstrate the resource is managed sustainably,” said Chris Blankenship, ADCNR Commissioner.

“The new shrimp fishery management plan is a requirement for that certification. It is important that we receive input from participants in Alabama’s shrimping industry. If adopted, the new plan will be used by ADCNR to manage the state’s shrimp fishery.”

MRD staff will present proposed goals and objectives during each listening session. Attendees will have the opportunity to share feedback, offer additional ideas, and participate in multiple public comment periods aimed at shaping the final plan.

The first session will take place Wednesday, Nov. 12, at the Bayou La Batre Community Center, 12745 Padgett Switch Rd., Bayou La Batre, from 12 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

A second session is set for Thursday, Nov. 13, at the Gulf Shores Activity Center, 260 Clubhouse Dr., Gulf Shores, from 12 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Anyone needing Americans with Disabilities Act accommodations or additional details about the listening sessions can contact John Mareska at john.mareska@dcnr.alabama.gov or (251) 968-9737. Requests should be submitted at least two days before the meeting.

ADCNR manages Alabama’s natural resources through its Marine Resources, State Lands, State Parks, and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries divisions.

Bayou La Batre and Coden have been known for decades as the fishing village of Alabama and America. Now, that role will be enhanced for pier fishermen.

Not everybody has a boat to go out fishing on the Bayou, Portersville Bay, or Mississippi Sound. But anyone can go fishing off Rolston Park Pier, the public pier operated by the City of Bayou La Batre.

That pier gets crowded sometimes with walkers and fishermen. It will not be so crowded in the future, as the length of the pier is about to be doubled – twice as much room for fishermen, soft shell crabbers and walkers.

The extension of the pier from its present-day 100-foot length to 200 feet is made possible by an ADECA-administered federal LWCF grant of $250,000.

The grant was requested and shepherded through by State Rep. Chip Brown (R-Hollinger’s Island). Brown represents Bayou La Batre, Coden and the entire southern part of Mobile County, all the way to the Gulf of America. He is the southern-most member of the Alabama House of Representatives – District 105 out of 105 members.

“The pier at Rolston Park provides beautiful views and direct access to Portersville Bay, and the funding will allow even more residents and tourists alike to enjoy this special local resource,” Brown said. “I am proud to use my position in the Alabama Legislature to make the already abundant recreational opportunities and quality of life that we enjoy on the Gulf Coast even better.”

Bayou La Batre Mayor Henry Barnes said:

“On busy days, the pier is packed with sport fishermen standing shoulder to shoulder and others who use it for walking and other exercise. Doubling the length to 200 feet will provide additional space for folks to fish and go soft shell crabbing and allow them to do it more comfortably and more safely.”

Barnes said his city will begin the pier extension work as soon as the grant funding is distributed and plans to complete the project as soon as possible.

The pier is located in Rolston Park at 7840 Coden Belt Rd S.

The park provides a tranquil setting that combines natural beauty with family-friendly amenities. One of the standout features of Rolston Park is its beautiful waterfront views, which offer a stunning backdrop for relaxation and recreation. Visitors can enjoy the scenic vistas of the waters while strolling along the winding sidewalks that meander through the park. These pathways not only provide a peaceful walking experience but also offer an opportunity to connect with nature and appreciate the local flora and fauna.

The park includes a well-equipped playground designed with children in mind featuring play structures and equipment that encourage active play and imagination.

This makes the park an excellent spot for family outings, allowing parents to relax while their children engage in fun and healthy activities.

Rolston Park also features covered pavilions or gazebos, which are perfect for picnics or social gatherings.

These structures provide shade and shelter, making them ideal for hosting family reunions, birthday parties, or other community events. The picnic benches within these gazebos offer a comfortable seating area where visitors can enjoy meals while taking in the beautiful surroundings.

While Bayou La Batre has been known to Alabama folks and fishermen for generations, the nation and the world got to know it in the 1994 blockbuster movie “Forrest Gump.” The fictitious Gump had served in Vietnam with Bubba from Bayou La Batre, who told Gump about his shrimping business in the Bayou.

Bubba did not make it back from Vietnam, so Forrest Gump decided to go in his stead to Bayou La Batre and operate a shrimping “bidness,” as Gump pronounced it. It was wildly successful. It also provided the movie viewers with more knowledge of shrimping and of Alabama’s bayou than all the geography classes in America.

Now, when those tourists come South to see the bayou, they can go out fishing on the extended public pier.

Jim Zig Zeigler is a contributing writer for Yellowhammer News. His beat includes the positive and colorful about Alabama – her people, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is former State Auditor and Public Service Commissioner. You can reach him at ZeiglerElderCare@yahoo.com.

Bayou La Batre Mayor Henry Barnes joined NewsNation on Saturday to discuss how President Donald Trump’s tariffs will impact the local fishing community across coastal Alabama.

The Mayor told the show’s host he believes that the tariff policy being enacted by the Trump administration will ultimately be of benefit to all employed in the shrimping industry in the region.

“It should raise the price of shrimp to the guys out there that’s catching it,” said Barnes. “They work very, very hard. They go out 30 to 40, some of them 50 days away from their family. It’s dangerous work, but they do it because they love it. It’s in their blood. It’s in their heart. It’s generational.”

Barnes explained that between the huge amounts of foreign imports flooding the market and the previous presidential administration, it’s been a difficult few years for those employed in the industry.

“It hurts us tremendously,” he noted. “With the last administration, when diesel fuel went up so high, diesel fuel cost more a gallon than they were getting paid for a pound of shrimp, and it just was not feasible to go out. So they stayed in. They didn’t go out. They kept their boats tied up, they dropped to what they call dockside insurance, which is still pretty high.”

Barnes, who has personally suffered from the difficult circumstances, emphasized that it’s not just Bayou La Batre dealing with these issues.

RELATED: Gumbo cook off champions crowned at ‘Blessing of the Fleet’ in Bayou La Batre, Alabama

“It hurt my business. I have a net shop. I build and repair shrimp nets, and it hurt my business tremendously,” said Barnes. “It’s hurt every business. It’s marine hardware businesses and truck drivers. It’s the people who work in these plants. They hire 40 to 50, sometimes 60 people to work in these plants. That’s 40 to 50, to 60 families suffering because of these foreign imports. It’s not just our city. It’s all from Brownsville, Texas all the way up to the East Coast in North Carolina. All these guys are hurting, and it’s been going on for years. It’s just the last few years, it’s gotten even worse.”

The Mayor called Trump’s tariff policy a “reformation.”

“This reformation is going to have growing pains. It’s going to hurt some people. It’s going to make some people happy. It’s kind of like when I ran for office; I knew I wasn’t going to make 100% of the people in my city happy, but I might make this guy happy one day, and then next day I’ll make his neighbor happy and then he won’t be happy. So it balances out.”

Barnes had a message for President Trump.

“Don’t back down,” he said. “This is a reformation for our country, the whole country. This country has needed to change for years. We’re paying people not to work. We’re teaching people to depend on the government. We have people who don’t even know what bathroom to go to. That’s ridiculous.”

“We need to grow up, straighten up, and move forward.”

Austen Shipley is the News Director for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @ShipleyAusten

Gumbo connoisseurs throughout South Alabama had the opportunity earlier this month to sample some of the best local recipes in the region at the annual Blessing of the Fleet Gumbo Cook Off in Bayou La Batre.

Although the competition was hard fought, one recipe from the LaForce Brothers stood above the rest.

Second place in the competition went to the Zirlott Family while third place was awarded to Captain Frank’s.

Sweet Home Alabama gave the following description of the annual Blessing of the Fleet, now in its 75th year: “Beautiful century old oaks, the scenic waters of the Mississippi Sound, shrimp boats, and a fishing village charm will welcome you to our city to share in the commemoration of our fishing industry in Bayou La Batre, the Seafood Capital of Alabama. The Fleet Blessing is a celebration of life along the working waterfront of Bayou La Batre and a remembrance of those from the small fishing community that have perished at sea.”

Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @ShipleyAusten

Bayou La Batre, “Alabama’s seafood capital”, is experiencing some major economic adversity causing Mayor Henry Barnes to issue a declaration of disaster.

The issue is a flood of foreign seafood being dumped into the area which is effecting the local fishing community.

State Rep. Chip Brown has requested Gov. Kay Ivey issue a disaster declaration, which would lead to an increase of resources to tackle the problem.

“I am writing to request a disaster declaration for Bayou La Batre and South Mobile County, Alabama’s Seafood Capital,” Brown (R-Hollinger’s Island) wrote. “With the price of gas hitting record highs, and the value of shrimp now worth only $1 per pound, more and more shrimp boat owners are unable to do anything other than dock their vessels.

“The extreme decrease in cost per pound of shrimp is due to a recent influx of imported foreign seafood. The City of Bayou La Batre has issued a disaster declaration, and I ask for your help and support for the people of my district by issuing a disaster declaration as Governor of Alabama. Thank you for your consideration, and please reach out to me with any questions.”

Barnes told WSFA12 the problem has gotten worse, recently.

“They can’t make a living at a dollar pound shrimp and almost $4 a gallon diesel fuel,” he said. “You just can’t do it. Some of these boats, they’ll consume 50 to 80 gallons an hour of diesel fuel.”

Barnes also said the city has discussed the issue with Ivey in the past.

“It’s not like this is something new that’s just started,” he said. This has been going on for 30 to 40 years.

“You know, it’s just now – it’s so extreme.”

Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News.

Now that a multiyear effort to restore, enhance and protect the shoreline habitats of the “Seafood Capital” of Alabama is complete, state and local leaders are turning their attention to an economic development project in Bayou La Batre they believe will transform the community for generations to come.

Details of the Bayou La Batre City Docks Redevelopment Project were announced April 22 during a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Lightning Point restoration project, a collaborative effort coordinated by The Nature Conservancy in Alabama (TNCA) to construct a new barrier to restore and preserve Bayou La Batre‘s Lightning Point, one of Alabama’s most iconic and important coastal habitats. Michael Lipford, Southern U.S. division director for The Nature Conservancy (TNC), said the Lightning Point restoration project was one of the most complex and at-scale coastal restoration projects TNC has produced.

“It is amazing what the habitat has provided for both nature and people, and how quickly it has done that,” Lipford said. “Even during the course of construction, this place weathered five hurricanes in 2020. That’s an exciting thing.”

Celebrating Bayou La Batre’s Lightning Point from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

Contractors installed two jetties at the mouth of the channel and 1 mile of overlapping, segmented breakwaters along both sides of the navigation channel. The breakwaters provide a buffer from waves and boat wakes while the jetties help maintain access for all types of vessels, including commercial shrimp boats and recreational boats. New public amenities, including walkways, trails, a community pavilion, picnic tables and a fishing platform with Americans with Disabilities Act access were also added.

“By protecting and restoring our coastal waterways we are ensuring our future generations grow up surrounded by the same beauty that we are blessed with today,” said Gov. Kay Ivey during the ribbon cutting ceremony. “We are showing the rest of the country what it means to protect the land that God has blessed us with.”

TNCA broke ground on the restoration project in April 2019 after securing support from public agencies and private organizations, including the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) and Alabama Power. As the project got underway, additional support was provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act, Restore America’s Estuaries-CITGO, the Alabama Bicentennial Commission, the city of Bayou La Batre, Mobile County, Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Mobile Bay National Estuary Program, Partners for Environmental Progress, University of Alabama at Birmingham, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Alabama Department of Environmental Management, Embrace the Gulf 2020, Alabama Coastal Foundation, Alma Bryant High School and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Construction was handled by engineers and contractors at Moffatt & Nichol, CrowderGulf, J&W Marine Enterprises, Magnolia Dredge & Dock, Wildlife Solutions, Hydroterra and Procision Restoration.

“This project is a testament to the strength of our people and our public and private partnerships,” Ivey said. “Alabama is blessed with an abundance of natural beauty and it’s our responsibility to keep Alabama ‘the Beautiful’.”

Bayou La Batre City Docks Project

Now that the Lightning Point Redevelopment Project is complete, state and local leaders are focusing their attention on the Bayou La Batre City Docks Project, a $21.5 million effort designed to grow the region’s economy. ADCNR Commissioner Chris Blankenship said the project will attract locals and tourists to Lightning Point.

“This is a very transformational project,” Blankenship said. “It’s really going to be great.”

The economic development project will create three districts: a Market District, Marina District and a Lightning Point District.

• 

  The Market District is where direct seafood sales will occur, allowing the public to buy boat-to-table seafood directly from shrimpers. The Market District will also feature an oyster restoration area, giving people a glimpse into the oyster life cycle, and an open pavilion to host markets, festivals, weddings and community events.

• 

  Adjacent to the Market District will be the Marina District, which will offer boaters short-term and long-term access to the back barrier islands, barrier islands and offshore fishing adventures. It will feature a 50-slip marina that can hold boats ranging in size from 20 to 50-plus feet, a four-lane public boat launch and a bait store. An elevated multipurpose building will serve as a master harbor office and will have a public restroom.

• 

  The Lightning Point District will provide amenities to boaters and “eco-tourists” such as paddlers, birders, hikers, beachgoers and shoreline anglers. About 75 boat-trailer parking spots will be available near the boat launch as well as a parking lot for single-car parking. A kayak launch will allow paddlers better access to the new tidal creeks of Lightning Point and kayak fishing along Little Bay. The sandy spit at the terminal end of the parking lot currently used as a fishing spot will be improved to give people with disabilities easier access.

“That’s just transformational for a community of this size,” Blankenship said. “I am looking forward to having many more groundbreakings and ribbon cuttings on these projects as we move forward.”

The Bayou La Batre City Docks Project is being paid for in part with federal funding from the U.S. Department of the Treasury under the Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act of 2012 (RESTORE ACT). Project organizers sid construction is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2023. To learn more about the project, visit BayouLaBatreCityDocks.com.

(Courtesy of Alabama NewsCenter)

If you’ve always wanted to visit a small, sleepy fishing village where most residents make a living from working on the water, Bayou La Batre (pronounced “BY-you-la-BAT-tree”) is the place to go. Located in the southernmost part of Mobile County, it’s worth the drive – especially if you’re already in the area at Bellingrath Gardens and Home in Theodore or you’re staying on nearby Dauphin Island.

The bayou, as it’s familiarly called, might be small, with about 2,500 residents, but it has appeared on both the big and the small screens. The 1994 movie “Forrest Gump,” based on the novel written by Mobile native Winston Groom, celebrated Bayou La Batre as the home of Forrest’s “best good friend,” Bubba, whose dream of being a shrimp boat captain was taken up by Forrest.

Later, the sequel to “Pirates of the Caribbean” featured a pirate ship made by a shipbuilder in Bayou La Batre. And the 2011 reality series “Big Shrimpin’,” which aired for one season on the History Channel, revolved around real shrimpers who worked for Dominick’s Seafood in the bayou.

Driving through Bayou La Batre will give you an idea of the beauty and charm of the area, but you might not realize just how diverse the community is. About one-fourth of the population is of Southeast Asian descent, as immigrants from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos settled there following the Vietnam War.

You can learn about Bayou La Batre’s history – it was founded in 1786, according to a historical marker – at the official welcome center, but it’s only open on “some” Wednesdays and Saturdays. A colorful mural on the side of the fire station captures the bayou lifestyle, with a fiery sunset and seabirds flying over the waters of the “Seafood Capital of Alabama.” Everywhere you go, you’ll see anchors in yards and in front of businesses, symbolizing this coastal Alabama community’s livelihood.

Here are three things you don’t want to miss on a visit to the beautiful bayou.

Go fish.

Dion Hill has lived in the Bayou La Batre area his whole life. Recently, as he threw his cast net to catch bait fish along Portersville Bay just down the road in Coden (pronounced co-DEN), he looked forward to catching redfish, flounder, speckled trout and white trout. Hill worked with his father on a shrimp boat as a child, then followed in his dad’s footsteps to become a commercial fisherman, then a shipbuilder.

From where he stands, you can clearly see the Dauphin Island Bridge across the bay. “You’ll see the most beautiful sunrises here,” he said, gesturing to the east. “And the most beautiful sunsets at the opposite end of this road.”

Naturally, this lifelong fisherman recommends that visitors to the bayou go fishing if they can. If you’re not equipped to go fishing, you can certainly buy anything you need at the quaint, funky Marshall Marine Supply on Shell Belt Road. From crab traps to rope to a great selection of T-shirts and hats, this is a great place to stop and look around.

Watch the boats.

The only time you’re likely to get stuck in traffic is when the J.A. Wintzell Memorial Bridge, a drawbridge over the main thoroughfare, Wintzell Avenue, goes up to let the majestic shrimp boats pass. If you drive to the end of Shell Belt Road, you’ll reach the city docks, where right now two massive casino barges are moored. It’s here that you’ll see shrimpers returning with their harvest.

All along Shell Belt Road, there are seafood processors – mostly wholesale-only – and shipbuilders. Mountains of oyster shells drying in the sunshine make a fascinating spectacle.

(Courtesy of Alabama NewsCenter)

For students enrolled in the Bryant Oyster Academy at Bayou La Batre’s Alma Bryant High School, science is fun.

“We’re teaching students how to grow oysters,” said aquaculture teacher Charles Baker. “They’re learning the whole process of putting out the long line system and then hanging baskets where you grow oysters to either market size or a size where they will be resilient enough to make it when you place them on a reef.” (more…)

Work to restore and preserve one of Alabama’s most iconic and important coastal habitats is wrapping up as planners shift their focus to building trails, boat ramps and a pavilion at the site.

The Nature Conservancy in Alabama (TNCA) said heavy construction at Lightning Point in Bayou La Batre is almost complete. Judy Haner, Marine Program director, said contractors finished this phase of the project two months ahead of schedule.

“The contractors really went above and beyond,” Haner said. “The great thing about working with really good contractors is they know how to do it and to do it right. They found ways to do a couple of things at the same time, so it saved us time and made this project progress faster than what we thought.” (more…)

A grant from the Alabama Power Foundation will assist in ongoing restoration efforts at Bayou La Batre’s Lightning Point.

Alabama Power Mobile Division Vice President Nick Sellers recently presented the grant to The Nature Conservancy at the organization’s board of trustees meeting in Gulf Shores. The grant will support work being done by the conservancy to restore and stabilize shoreline at Lightning Point.

“Alabama Power Foundation is proud to invest in Lightning Point to help preserve the coastal shoreline and create habitats that support a wide range of fish and birds,” Sellers said. “Alabama Power has a long legacy of environmental stewardship along the Gulf Coast, and we are proud to add Lightning Point to our list of projects.” (more…)

Alabama’s tourism agency is promoting a series of walking tours that will start next month in cities both large and small.

About 30 communities statewide are offering the free, hour-long strolls beginning April 7.
(more…)

By Emily Ehrnschwender

Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan are visiting Alabama this week as a part of their challenge to visit every state in the US. The couple arrived in Birmingham last night.

The trip started in Mobile and Bayou La Batre on Sunday, where the couple enjoyed seafood on the coast while learning about the changes that have occurred in the fishing industry due to globalization.

Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post, “I’m looking at more of the world through the lens of building community these days.” Zuckerberg and Chan experienced the Southern community by worshipping at Aimwell Baptist Church, enjoying a Mardi Gras parade in Mobile, and visiting a local bar where he visited with community members.

They arrived in Birmingham Monday night where they dined at OvenBird in the Pepper Place neighborhood. Following the evening, OvenBird Tweeted at Zuckerberg, “It was an honor to host you and your lovely wife Priscilla tonight.” Zuckerberg and Chan toured the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute Tuesday.

It has been speculated that a tour of the US could be the beginning of a political career for Zuckerberg. When asked if planning to run in 2020, however, Zuckerberg consistently denies any political intentions. Those who have met him during his tour of Alabama claim his conversations are apolitical. The couple appears to simply want to experience the south while learning about the social fabric that holds communities together on both a local and global scale.

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