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Shrimpers Return to Louisiana Waters for Start of Season

   VOA News 16 August 2010
   Albert Ballard, a shrimper and fisherman, checks a trawl net along the
   floor  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and Barataria Bay with the Louisiana
   Department  of Wildlife and Fisheries to check for oil near Grand Isle
   on the Louisiana coast, before the start of the

Photo: AP

   Albert Ballard, a shrimper and fisherman, checks a trawl net along the
   floor  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and Barataria Bay with the Louisiana
   Department  of Wildlife and Fisheries to check for oil near Grand Isle
   on  the  Louisiana coast, before the start of the shrimping season, 13
   Aug 2010

   Shrimpers  in  the  Gulf state of Louisiana returned to coastal waters
   Monday at the start of the first commercial shrimping season since the
   BP oil spill.
   The  U.S. Commerce Secretary, Gary Locke, is visiting the state Monday
   to  talk  with  fishermen and representatives of the seafood industry,
   which  has  suffered  financially  from  the  worst  oil  spill in the
   nation's history.
   Some  Americans  have  been  reluctant  to  buy seafood from the Gulf,
   fearing  that  it  may  have  been  contaminated  by the spill.  Some
   shrimpers also have been reluctant to send out their trawler.
   Louisiana  is the top U.S. shrimp producer.  The more than 45 million
   kilograms caught in 2009 were worth $118 million.
   Louisiana  reopened  a portion of its coastal commercial fishing areas
   on Saturday, but restrictions imposed by state and federal authorities
   remain  in effect in many areas, particularly east of the mouth of the
   Mississippi River.
   Meanwhile,  the  U.S.  National  Hurricane  Center says a low-pressure
   system  over  the southeastern United States is moving toward the Gulf
   of Mexico and has a 60 percent chance of strengthening into a tropical
   storm within two days.  The result could be heavy rainfall and strong
   gusty winds along the central Gulf coast.
   National   Incident   Commander   Thad   Allen,  who  is  leading  the
   government's  response  to  the  oil  spill, says energy giant BP will
   complete  work  on  a relief well designed to permanently seal the oil
   well after a round of testing and planning.
   The Deepwater Horizon oil rig leased by BP exploded and sank in April,
   killing  11  people,  rupturing  the  well  and polluting the region's
   waters and much of the Gulf Coast shoreline.

   The  oil  leak  was  stopped with a temporary cap in mid-July, and two
   weeks  ago  mud  and  cement  were piped into the top of the well in a
   so-called "static kill."

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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