Table 4. Commercial landings of selected finfish and shellfish at Alabama 

 ports in 1978-83 (National Marine Fisheries Service 1978-83). 



occur, the drills burrow into the mud and await the return of more saline 

 waters. If the freshet is of sufficient duration, the drills die. This is 

 the most effective control method known at this time (Eckmayer 1979). The 

 most destructive oyster disease is "dermo," which is caused by a protozoan, 

 Perkinsus marinus . Oysters are most susceptible to infection in the summer 

 during times of high salinity and the result is swift die-off. 



The Dauphin Island Oyster Reef (Biloxi quadrangle) was the only active 

 oyster reef remaining after Hurricane Frederic in 1979. Oysters from this 

 reef were used to restock destroyed beds in other areas. Oyster abundance in 

 Alabama should have been restored to normal by 1982, but floods in 1983 

 resulted in losses of over 32% of the oysters (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

 1983). The abundance of oysters for harvest is affected by bacterial 

 pollution in Mobile Bay. The Alabama Department of Health closes the Mobile 

 Bay oyster reefs during periods of increased bacterial count. Reef closures 

 generally occur when flooding increases the freshwater influx into the bay. 

 Somewhat more than 72,000 acres, mostly in the northern parts of Mobile Bay, 

 have been permanently closed to shellfish harvesting (O'Meil and Mettee 

 1982). Since oyster availability tends to fluctuate considerably, most 

 oyster fishermen do not rely solely on oysters for their livelihood (Friend 

 et al . 1981). Figure 5 indicates variation in oyster landings from 1950 to 

 1981. 



FINFISH OF COASTAL ALABAMA 



Data on recreational and commercial harvests of species discussed in the 

 narrative are shown in Tables 4 and 5. Data on habitats and spawning loca- 



14 



