Everyone likes to think their town is unique, but residents along Mobile Bay have an edge up thanks to the jubilee phenomenon.

People can live in the area for 10 years and not see one in person. But they're likely to have seen the alerts, the photos and heard the stories.

If you are asking yourself what a jubilee is, you might be new here. The simple answer: when a jubilee happens, you can walk along the shoreline and easily pick up or net flounder, shrimp and crabs that have made their way to the shallows for oxygen.

Jubilees have been reported in other areas, according to the Alabama Extension, but they occur fairly regularly in Mobile Bay. They happen most often along the upper Eastern Shore from Great Point Clear to just north of Daphne and occasionally south of Point Clear to Mullet Point and on the western shore of Deer River and Dog River.

If you ask a local "old-timer" when a jubilee will happen, they are most likely going to say when the conditions are just right.

To explain more of why and what happens, we look to the experts.

"Jubilees are caused primarily by the upward movement of oxygen-poor bottom waters that force bottom-dwelling fish and crustaceans ashore," according to the Marine Resources Council. "Bottom water low in oxygen results from several coincidental circumstances that happen at the same time. Pockets of salty water accumulate in the deeper parts of Mobile Bay and stagnate during calm conditions in the summer.

"Then stratification, or the layering effect of water containing different levels of salt, occurs when dense salty Gulf water is overlain by less dense, freshwater from the rivers. When water is stratified or layered in this way, the layers don't get mixed, preventing the movement of oxygen from the air into the bottom water."

Weather conditions and time of year also play into the perfect jubilee conditions. They only occur in the summer and typically before sunrise. Even the weather the day before is important. Alabama Cooperative Extension Service says the previous day's weather must include an overcast or cloudy day, a gentle wind from the east and a calm bay surface. A rising tide is also essential.

All these factors equal "just right" conditions.

Local alert system

Residents along the Eastern Shore have formed their own alert system for jubilees. If you search for jubilee alerts on Facebook, you will find some groups where information is exchanged. Others make friends with bayfront residents in hopes of getting a phone call.

The other way to catch a jubilee is to be in the right place at the right time or by pure luck. Early bird guests at the Grand Hotel in Point Clear experienced a jubilee Aug. 3, and the hotel posted photos to their Facebook page. It was one of a couple that occurred within a few days.

Know the law

While Mother Nature and luck provide a bounty to those around enough to catch it, remember that harvest regulations still apply:

• The daily creel limit for flounder is five per person per day with a minimum size of 14 inches in total length.
• The recreational limit on shrimp with heads on is one 5-gallon bucket per day with a 5-inch minimum from shell point to point.
• Jubilee participants aged 16 to 64 who harvest shrimp by cast net or any finfish like flounder, speckled trout or redfish are required to have a saltwater fishing license. Those aged 16 and older must also have a saltwater angler registry.

If you are determined to catch a jubilee, get out and make friends with the bayfront residents and experienced jubilee participants, have your gear and fishing license ready to go, monitor the weather, and rub your lucky rabbit's foot.