Alan Vo, 18, holds a crucifix on the bow of a boat as Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi blesses the fleet of boats, ceremonially opening the shrimping season in Bayou la Batre, Ala., Sunday, May 2, 2010. Though this time of of year is usually the most productive for shrimpers, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration banned fishing in Gulf of Mexico waters affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, not far off the Alabama coast. According to a NOAA report, 1.2 billion pounds of the 8.3 billion pounds of fish and shellfish harvested in the United States in 2008 came from the Gulf Coast.