Alabama Fishing Set Records In 2020

In a This Is Alabama column, Blakeley Ells, executive director of the Coastal Conservation Association Alabama in Orange Beach, said 2020 was an “unprecedented” year for Alabama fishing. “We created a shortage of not just fishing poles, but also boats, motors, tackle and anything else related to fishing,” he added. In addition to stores running out of fishing gear, the fishing licenses sold by the Alabama Department of Conservation surged 19% over 2019. Other positives Ells mentioned were marine science institutes’ research work on popular species like tarpon and cobia, and “a trailblazing hatchery effort to reverse the trend” of declining flounder population.