Mobile Baykeeper

Between 2021 and 2023, Prichard's water utility had 309 spills totaling more than 48 million gallons. Folks living in Prichard are exposed to 49 times more sewage pollution than those in neighboring cities. Every American, regardless of their ZIP code, race, or income, deserves access to clean and safe water. With billions of dollars of infrastructure funding being made available, we need to call on our governments to stop wasting our tax dollars on things we don't care about and protect the health of the taxpayers they work for. Learn more and watch the video at https://lnkd.in/gyVbiH9x

Join us for a community meeting. April 3rd, 6-7:30 pm at Sure Word Outreach Ministries in Prichard. Learn more about what’s going on with Prichard’s water utility and make your voice heard. There’s a lot going on in Prichard at the moment, including concerns over the governance of its water system and chronic water quality issues. We need you to come out and make your voice heard. The future health of our waters and our community depends on folks like you speaking out.

Mobile Baykeeper exists to defend and revive the health of the waters of Coastal Alabama, but we can't do it alone. We depend on our coastal communities to take responsibility for the health of our water. Celebrating our Coastal Alabama communities for taking responsibility for our waterways and encouraging others to do the same is important to ensuring sustainable change. Mobile Baykeeper offers organized cleanup events where you, your family, your friends, and even your dog can participate in defending and reviving our waterways. We provide all necessary materials, including gloves, vests, and garbage bags, to ensure your efforts make a significant impact. Join us in preserving the beauty and health of our coastal environment for generations to come. Sign up for a cleanup or coordinate with your friends for a DIY cleanup. Learn more at https://lnkd.in/grSi6eZN

Do you know if the fish you catch are safe to eat? No one should have to worry about eating the fish of Coastal Alabama, but the fact is there are facilities dumping carcinogens and other contaminants in our waters, and they end up in the fish. A fish consumption advisory is a warning by the State to not eat more than the recommended amount of a specific species from a specific waterway. Your tax dollars are used to collect this information, yet most folks haven’t even heard of them. Many have been fishing on waterways with advisories for years and feeding their families with their catches. The government or anybody else can’t tell you what you can and can’t eat, but should we be making informed decisions? Just like you need to know if the food you eat is foreign or domestic, you deserve to know what is in the fish you catch and for our state to put the public’s health first. We need your help to bring attention to this issue with decision-makers. Through monitoring, education, and talking with decision-makers, Baykeeper commits to lowering the toxic pollution in our waters and advocating for greater public education on fish consumption advisories throughout the state. By becoming a Baykeeper, you provide the means to meet with elected officials, host town halls and member meetings, and spread the word about what’s in our waters and our fish. You can become a Baykeeper with a tax-deductible gift of $50 ($100 per household). Your support gets you a year’s subscription to CURRENTS magazine and FREE crawfish at our Members-Only Crawfish Boil on Saturday, April 12. Learn more and donate online at https://lnkd.in/gHFed8wj.

A longtime member of the Buccaneer Yacht Club in Mobile, Michael Mark has been sailing Finns in Mobile Bay for about twelve years. And what makes you a good sailor in Mobile Bay makes you a good sailor in the Mediterranean. He is currently ranked 7th in the U.S. in the Finn class and has cracked the top 100 in the world. “They don’t have a big tide off the coast there,” he tells me. “Even though we don’t have a big tide in Mobile Bay, we can still get some currents. And that was what was happening in Cannes – with wind, you get current. This is kind of what happens in Fairhope, too – as you get farther off the water, the current is stronger . . . and when you get out of that it can become a little weaker. But that’s the cool thing about figuring these places out." Read the full article from CURRENTS https://lnkd.in/g8-wxMwH

Coal ash in unlined, leaking pits is a disaster waiting to happen. At Plant Barry, over 21 million tons of toxic ash sit in contact with groundwater, polluting it indefinitely, filling our fish with arsenic, and making us sick. Worse, this ticking time bomb could spill into the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, sullying one of America’s greatest natural treasures and threatening communities downstream. Alabama Power must follow the lead of utilities like Georgia Power by recycling ALL of this ash into concrete and protecting our waterways. They've already taken a critical first step as they work to build an on-site recycling facility. Now, they need to commit to not stopping until the coal ash is completely recycled. Mobile Baykeeper is fighting to ensure action is taken before it’s too late. But we can't do it alone. They need to hear from you. We've drafted a letter on your behalf. https://lnkd.in/gi82GrQB

Enjoy the benefits of being a Baykeeper this spring at our annual Members-Only Crawfish Boil Saturday, April 12, from 4 pm -7 pm at Braided River. We’ll have cold beer, hot crawfish from The Haberdasher, and live music from the Troi Atkinson Band. Active members at the $ 50 level or greater ($100 per household) get in and eat crawfish for FREE! Members at this level also receive a year’s subscription to our quarterly publication CURRENTS magazine. You can donate online here at https://lnkd.in/gHFed8wj So come on out and meet some fellow Baykeepers while we enjoy the perks of coastal living!

This year, our Oyster Keepers program has introduced 61,000 oysters back into our bay. “Oysters are a vital keystone species in estuaries and are a cultural touchstone for coastal Alabamians. By collaborating with volunteer piers and the Auburn University Marine Extension and Research Center, Oyster Gardening is increasing the number of live oysters being returned to the bay each year, and I'm looking forward to seeing the reefs continue to grow. Restoring our oyster reefs takes a community effort, and we are committed to working with our partners across Mobile Bay to ensure that our reefs survive and thrive for many generations to come.” - Dr. Kayla Boyd, Oyster Project Manager. Learn all about our native oysters and Baykeeper’s Oyster Keepers Program. https://lnkd.in/gh4v_mxm

"Today somewhere around 15 percent of all the shrimp eaten in the US are actually caught here domestically, meaning around 85 percent of the rest of the supply is coming from overseas." - Chris Nelson at Bon Secour Fisheries reflects on decades in the seafood industry. Read the full article from CURRENTS https://lnkd.in/gvgQmeHK

There are hundreds of seafood restaurants in Coastal Alabama, and you know that Coastal Alabama produces world-class oysters. But when you ask most eateries where their oysters are from, they say from Texas, South Carolina, or even New England states, but not from any of the great local oyster farms. Part of the problem is structural, historic, or economic, according to Admiral Shellfish Co’s founder and owner, Anthony Ricciardone. As one of AL’s leading oyster farmers, he’s been struggling with this issue for years. There are factors like a lack of retail options and shelf life that affect how far of a reach Alabama oysters have, but Ricciardone says the real crux comes down to national and regional distributors, “shelf space” at retail, and purchasers at restaurants. Ricciardone feels that there’s plenty more that can be done to highlight this issue, as it’s a terrible irony for the Bay to produce the quality of oysters we have, only to have barely any local buyers. That’s why he started his own seafood distribution business in Bayou La Batre. “I’m tired of waiting on other market players trying to fix these sorts of issues without direct farmer input.” Yet it seems like Mobile and Baldwin residents are broadly unaware of where their seafood comes from, despite the pride we have for what we produce. That’s why Baykeeper worked with state legislators to pass the Seafood Labeling Bill because we know when consumers are informed, they would rather buy fresh and local than frozen and foreign. What can you do to help? ??First, ask your waiter where their seafood comes from before you order. If they aren’t following the provisions of the SLA, you can report violators to the Alabama Department of Public Health. If they don’t serve Alabama oysters, ask them, “Why not?” and emphasize that you prefer to eat at restaurants that support Alabama seafood over those that don’t. ?? Second, become a baykeeper. It’s because of baykeepers like you that we’re able to inform the public and advocate for solutions like the Seafood Labeling Act. You can become a member with a $50 gift or greater ($100 per household) and enjoy a year’s subscription to CURRENTS magazine and FREE crawfish at our Members-Only Crawfish Boil on Saturday, April 12. Donate online and learn more about our work and member events at https://lnkd.in/gHFed8wj.