Mobile Baykeeper

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Mobile Baykeeper Mobile Baykeeper exists to defend and revive the health of the waters of Coastal Alabama.
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We’re working to bring oyster reefs back to our waters, but restoration can’t happen in isolation. Oysters need hard bot...
10/13/2026

We’re working to bring oyster reefs back to our waters, but restoration can’t happen in isolation.

Oysters need hard bottom where young oysters can settle, and living reefs can grow. Dumping dredged sediment into our Bay can cover productive bottom and damage the same habitat we’re working to restore.

Oyster restoration and the fight against mud dumping belong in the same conversation.

Over the past year, the folks who've made their living working on the water have watched it get buried under mud. Wild harvesters, oyster farmers, and coastal communities came together and spoke out.

But the federal fight against mud dumping isn’t over just yet.

Call or write Senator Britt and ask her to end mud dumping for good as they work to pass the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) this fall. 202-224-5744 ⁠

Send a letter at https://mobilebaykeeper.org/dredge-spoil/

If Alabama is going to restore oyster reefs at a meaningful scale, we need more young oysters. Oyster farmers are a crit...
10/11/2026

If Alabama is going to restore oyster reefs at a meaningful scale, we need more young oysters. Oyster farmers are a critical part of producing them.

Baykeeper is working with growers to bring that expertise directly into restoration. At Bama Bay Oyster Farm, the goal is to produce 500,000 spat on shell for restoration. And across our partners, the combined goal is 1 million spat on shell for future reefs.

This is another part of what it takes to bring oysters back. The same knowledge and infrastructure that support our seafood economy can also support the return of living oyster reefs.

Be a part of the community restoring Coastal Alabama’s oysters. Become a Baykeeper at https://mobilebaykeeper.org/memberdrive/

Hurricane Isaias is making its way through the Gulf and is expected to intensify over the next several hours before maki...
10/08/2026

Hurricane Isaias is making its way through the Gulf and is expected to intensify over the next several hours before making landfall along the northern Gulf Coast as early as Friday evening, according to the latest weather reports.

Storm surge, heavy rain, and damaging winds are expected from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle.

Here in coastal Alabama, we’re no strangers to tropical storms and hurricanes. Our community knows you have to prepare for the storm unless you want to do extra cleanup afterwards.

There are some acts of God you can only prepare so much for, but the question is worth asking: Is our infrastructure prepared?

As the storm approaches, it will no doubt cause many pollution issues. Sewage systems will overflow. Construction sites will run off. There will be new erosion and deposition of sediment. Hopefully, there will be no major toxic spills or, heaven forbid, a breach of the coal ash pond at Plant Barry.

You can report pollution issues to us online at https://mobilebaykeeper.org/report-pollution/ or by phone at (251) 433-4229. A staff member will return your call as soon as possible, but we ask for your patience as we try to address each one. We plan to take on the most harmful impacts first.

After the storm, don’t forget the preparation you took beforehand. Then ask that your leaders take similar preparation to address infrastructure issues, potential large spills, and even restoration of oysters and seagrasses that lessen the impact of storms.

Stay safe, y'all.

Last weekend, there was turbid runoff at the Margaritaville Resort construction site in Orange Beach. Margaritaville has...
10/07/2026

Last weekend, there was turbid runoff at the Margaritaville Resort construction site in Orange Beach. Margaritaville has been a transparent community partner when it comes to protecting our waters.

Since the event, they have welcomed us to walk their site and observe their stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) and the things they are doing to strengthen them. We plan to follow up after the next big rain event to ensure our waters are better protected.

The Margaritaville Resort team in Orange Beach is supportive of community efforts to get smart growth regulations enacted as part of Baldwin County code.

“Smarter regulations can only help our business, as we already go above and beyond the required rules,” says Jason Alley, principal at Top Shelf Resort Management. “Leveling the playing field so that everyone has to improve their practices can only make Baldwin County a better place to live.”

Add your voice to the movement by sending a letter to your county commissioners at https://baldwincountysmartgrowth.com/

10/06/2026

Yesterday, we told you Baldwin County needs Smart Growth regulations that match the pace of development and protect the waters and communities that make this place special.

This morning, the Baldwin County Commission unanimously approved a 180-day moratorium on rezoning requests and new data center development. This shows that your voice matters.

Baldwin County is growing fast, and decisions about where and how we build affect stormwater, wetlands, flooding, infrastructure, and, ultimately, the health of our waterways. Taking time to plan before approving more major development gives Baldwin County an opportunity to get this right.

Over the next six months, we want to see that time used to strengthen Baldwin County Smart Growth and make sure future development protects the places people came here to enjoy in the first place.

Yesterday, we said the rules need to change. Today, Baldwin County created some time to work on them. Now we need to make sure that time counts.

Keep making your voice heard. Write your Baldwin County Commissioners and ask them to adopt the Smart Growth Blueprint and put stronger protections in place for Baldwin County’s waters and communities.

Send a letter at https://baldwincountysmartgrowth.com/

You've probably seen the runoff into the Intercoastal Waterway coming from Margaritaville this weekend. When heavy rains...
10/05/2026

You've probably seen the runoff into the Intercoastal Waterway coming from Margaritaville this weekend. When heavy rains hit, it's difficult to keep sediment on site. Especially when regulations let contractors walk a razor's edge, with no margin for error.

We've spoken with Margaritaville and ADEM. Margaritaville's contractor tells us they had already put in stormwater best management practices (BMPs) beyond what the regulations require. They shared that they're doing all they can to stop the current issue and have committed to voluntarily increase stormwater protections even further. ADEM is investigating and has plans to take enforcement action, although they are limited in the penalties that can be assessed.

Until Baldwin County adopts Smart Growth regulations that match its ecosystem and development growth, we can expect incidents like this to continue. Larger setbacks, protections for wetlands, phased development, and integrating stormwater into designs would have all helped to prevent this runoff from occurring.

To create the changes needed, you can write your Baldwin County Commissioners to ask them to adopt the Smart Growth Blueprint. Send a letter at https://baldwincountysmartgrowth.com/

📷: Ashley Henning

Before you can build a living oyster reef, you need young oysters and a lot of them. Young oysters begin as free swimmin...
10/04/2026

Before you can build a living oyster reef, you need young oysters and a lot of them.

Young oysters begin as free swimming larvae, and when they’re ready to settle, they attach to a hard surface and become what’s called spat. When that spat attaches to an oyster shell, it becomes spat on shell.

Restoration at scale depends on having enough of those young oysters ready to grow into future reefs. At Baykeeper, we're identifying where reefs should go and helping build the supply of oysters needed to restore them.

This year, we're working with partners including Bama Bay Oyster Farm and Isle Dauphine Oyster Farm to strengthen the supply of shell and young oysters needed for restoration. Across the effort, our partners are working toward producing 1 million spat on shell.

Help keep the work going. Become a baykeeper at https://mobilebaykeeper.org/memberdrive/

Your SWIM Report is here.13 of the 20 sites failed testing and are over the EPA threshold for bacteria. Please use cauti...
10/02/2026

Your SWIM Report is here.

13 of the 20 sites failed testing and are over the EPA threshold for bacteria. Please use caution in and around these waterways. And remember to wait at least 48 hours before getting in the water after heavy rainfall.

During the cooler months, volunteers test monthly for Enterococcus and E. Coli. While these bacteria are not necessarily dangerous on their own, they are indicators that other, more dangerous pathogens may be present. Swimming in water with high levels of these bacteria could potentially lead to serious health issues.

Check out the interactive map on our website to see the levels for sites tested by ADEM and the City of Daphne. And subscribe to our SWIM Report to get these results delivered directly to your inbox. https://mobilebaykeeper.org/swim-guide/

Thank you to our presenting partner, CrowderGulf (crowdergulf.com), and to contributing sponsors Michael & Debbie Quinn, Bay Break Fairhope, Gulf Surgical Dermatology, and Fly Creek Marina, whose investments make these reports possible.

Reading the Report:⁠ ⁠
Blue text indicates low bacteria levels 235 MPN for Bohemian Park)

Before oysters can grow into a reef, they need something hard to attach to. That’s where the shell comes in. Throughout ...
09/30/2026

Before oysters can grow into a reef, they need something hard to attach to. That’s where the shell comes in.

Throughout the summer, volunteers and community partners have spent hours washing, moving, bagging, and planting oyster shell.

Just this month, we hosted two shell bagging events with Airbus and the Student Conservation Association, with the two groups bagging a total of 11,750 lbs of shell.

Some of the shell is prepared for spat-on-shell production, where young oysters attach and begin growing. Other shell is bagged and planted directly to create the foundation for future reef habitat.

Every bag of shell becomes part of a larger effort to put more living reefs back into Coastal Alabama’s waters.

Have a group that wants to put their hands in the work? Sign up to hear about future oyster volunteer opportunities at https://mobilebaykeeper.org/volunteer-with-our-oyster-team/

09/28/2026

We are spending this fall talking about what it takes to bring oysters back.

Planting reefs is part of that work. Producing young oysters is part of it. So are the harvesters, farmers, scientists, volunteers, and Baykeepers working towards healthier waters.

But restoration also depends on what reaches the Bay from upstream.

At Plant Barry, millions of tons of coal ash remain beside the Mobile River in an unlined disposal area. Baykeeper continues to call for Alabama Power to excavate and recycle the coal ash rather than leave it beside a powerful, flood-prone river that flows directly toward Mobile Bay.

Coal ash and oyster restoration may look like separate programs on paper.

The water connects them.

What happens upstream can move downstream toward our fisheries, oyster habitat, wildlife, and coastal communities. Bringing oysters back means restoring habitat while also protecting the water those reefs depend on.

Tell Alabama Power to recycle all of the coal ash at Plant Barry. https://mobilebaykeeper.org/coal-ash/

Address

450C Government Street
Mobile, AL
36602

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5pm
Friday 8:30am - 5pm

Telephone

+12514334229

Website

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