Working Waterfronts Get Another Look In Alabama

Bayou La Batre Commerical Fishing State and local officials will spend the next year studying water access. Officials say they want strike a balance between all parties that want access to docks.

by Chad Petri

Published: Thu, June 12, 2008 - 4:00 am CST Last Updated: Thu, July 31, 2008 - 12:45 am CST

Walk along the pier in Bayou La Batre and you'll see several fishing boats docked every day. Members of the Alabama Working Waterfront coalition want to make sure these guys have a place to park.

“There's fewer and fewer dock spaces available for commercial fishermen,” says Jody Thompson. She’s part of the Mississippi Alabama Sea Grant. They estimate dockside landings are valued at 36-million dollars. The state legislature created a waterfront study committee to look at the issue this fall.

“They're going to spend the next year studying throughout the state of al and come up with both the status of the working waterfront and recommendations to preserve that working waterfront access,” says Thompson. Organizers say they fear residential development and unused property is making some areas inaccessible for commercial fishermen.

“Historically probably 98 percent of the vessels are privately owned and those individuals do not own dock,” says Organized Seafood Association President Ernie Anderson. He says he'd like to see funding for a commercial marina for local fishermen. Anderson says they're trying to get a jump on this issue early

“Your recreational vessels, your large yachts, they used to go from one state to another they're finding it difficult to find overnight dockage and facilities,” says Anderson.

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