WBRZ - Baton Rouge

Commercial shrimpers in the Gulf of Mexico say the first catch since the oil spill was plentiful and free of oil.

The new season opened amid anxiety over whether the catch will be tainted by crude and whether anyone will buy it even if it is clean.

Louisiana ranks first in the nation in shrimp, blue crab, crawfish and oysters, and the state's seafood industry overall generates an estimated $2.4 billion a year.