Shrimpers returned to the waters off the coast of Louisiana today.

And we took to the sea on a shrimping expedition as well, a little further up the coast in Biloxi, Mississippi.

The Biloxi Shrimping Tour is the second oldest attraction in the region; the “Sailfish” has been running tours since 1955.

We were a small group today, maybe a dozen or so in all, as we headed out into the Gulf – reflective of the hit that tourism in the Gulf region has taken since the BP oil spill began this past April. Captain Brandy and Deckhand Steve took turns explaining to us what we were seeing and what’s been happening in the region these past few months.

Seafood is big business down here and the Gulf of Mexico oil spill has been disastrous for the folks in that industry.  And although shrimping season re-opened earlier here than in Louisiana, Steve told us that most boats in the area are under contract to BP as part of their post-spill cleanup efforts. That was about to end, he said as there’s no oil in the area and never really had been.

In his opinion, it would’ve been easier to handle if the oil had mostly washed up along the Gulf Coast – it’s easy to scoop off the sandy beaches and remove. In Louisiana, it’s much more difficult to clean up with its bayous and swampy coastlines.

It was a gorgeous day for boat trip – and in addition to shrimp, we learned a bit about jelly fish, had pelicans land on our boat and watched a dolphin swim alongside of us for most of our trip.

Deck hand Steve explaining to us what he caught in his net.

A dolphin swam alongside our boat for most of the tour.

One of two pelicans who landed on the front of the boat.

Opening his mouth for a snack.

Hungry seagulls descending on the catch.

Close up shot of a brown shrimp we'd just caught.