WEEKS BAY, Ala. - The Weeks Bay Foundation conducted their 14th Annual Weeks Bay Kids Fishing Day on Saturday at the Weeks Bay Reserve Safe Harbor pond. The pond was stocked with more than 1,000 pounds of freshwater catfish.

More than 200 kids attended this year’s event. According to foundation Executive Director Walter C. Ernest IV, “Kids Fishing Day is a great way to educate children about fun family recreational outdoor activities that can reiterate the public benefit of our natural resources.”   The hours of the event were from 8 a.m.-1 p.m.

This year’s Kids Fishing Day would not have been as successful without the assistance of volunteers and event sponsors. The Weeks Bay Kids Fishing Day was sponsored by the Mapp Family Foundation, Riviera Utilities, Weeks Bay Foundation, The Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries and ADCNR State Lands Division Coastal Section.

Plans are already under way for next year’s Weeks Bay Kids Fishing Day. The event is always held on the first Saturday of May.

More than 2,600 kids have participated since the first event was held in 1998. Dr. John L. Borom, longtime board of directors member and vice president of the foundation developed the idea of hosting a kid’s fishing event as a means to educate them about the Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and the importance of our natural resources.

This event has always been held at the Safe Harbor site. The foundation owned and operated an RV park on that site from 1997-2004. The property was conveyed to the state of Alabama in 2004 by the Foundation.