Watersheds

Eastern Shore Jubilee

The rarest of photos — an alligator eating a flounder during a Jubilee — Thursday in Daphne. Coastal Alabama is literally the only place in the world where you could witness a scene like this. Jubilees are the stuff of legend, but they are very much real. One of the strangest natural phenomena in the world, Jubilees occur on rare occasions, when conditions are just right. Thousands of fish, crabs, and shrimp move from deeper waters of the Bay, congregating in great numbers in the shallow waters near the shoreline. The "free" seafood is so plentiful and easy to catch that locals rush to the bank and harvest the critters, using dip-nets or their bare hands. For many it’s a once-in-a-life time experience, but Jubilees have been going since before man arrived in the area. We believe this picture could be — the first photo-documentation— of how alligators take advantage of the bonanza. Native Fairhope resident and long-time outdoorsman, Frank Potter, snapped the incredible shot and then observed the alligator eating another 7 or 8 flounders in a row!