Acy Cooper Jr., head of the shrimpers association in Venice, La., back after one of his rare times out shrimping since the oil spill. He and his father, Acy Cooper Sr., take a bag from their catch and sell the rest to a wholesaler.
Julie Dermansky for The Washington Post
An employee at D&C seafood prepares freshly caught shrimp for sale in Venice, La.
Julie Dermansky for The Washington Post
Phuonhg Huynh of D&C Seafood prepares shrimp for sale in Venice, La. Simply paying shrimpers doesn?t re-create the economy that existed before the oil disaster.
Julie Dermansky for The Washington Post
Workers at D&C Seafood struggle with a market that is unsure about the quality of catches from the gulf.
Julie Dermansky for The Washington Post
Agnes Blanchard weighs shrimp for sale at Westwego Seafood Market in Westwego, La., a New Orleans suburb.
BP paid about $370 million to compensate fishermen, hotel owners and others whose livelihood was affected by the spill.
Julie Dermansky for The Washington Post
Charles "Chuckie" Verdin, chief of the Pointe-au-Chien tribe, says many of his people lost their jobs shrimping when oil dispersant was found in the waters near Pointe-aux-Chenes, La.
Julie Dermansky for The Washington Post
A prep station for cooking fisherman stew at the Bourbon House in New Orleans. One seafood dealer used to unload 100 boats a week; now it?s three to five.
Julie Dermansky for The Washington Post
Line chef Corry Daigle prepares a dish for service in the kitchen at the Bourbon House in New Orleans.
The tourism economy is slowly picking back up, and merchants in the Gulf Coast are cautiously optimistic for normal crowds by spring.
Julie Dermansky for The Washington Post
Bouillabaisse at the Bourbon House in New Orleans.
Julie Dermansky for The Washington Post
![Rep. Charlie Melancon (D-La.), with President Obama, said, "I told all my colleagues that I can't in good faith ask for the [deep-water drilling] moratorium to be lifted without making sure safety is ensured as much as possible."](http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/gallery/101019/GAL-10Oct19-6117/media/PHO-10Oct19-261424.jpg)
Rep. Charlie Melancon (D-La.), with President Obama, said, "I told all my colleagues that I can't in good faith ask for the [deep-water drilling] moratorium to be lifted without making sure safety is ensured as much as possible."
Charles Dharapak-AP
Alwin Landry and his crew helped rescue survivors of the Deepwater Horizon explosion in late April.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
In the Louisiana marshland of Pointe-aux-Chene, many shrimp boats are inactive.
Julie Dermansky for The Washington Post
Some Louisianans say that though the waters appear clear now, they are worried that a major storm will dredge up pollutants from far beneath the surface.
Julie Dermansky for The Washington Post
Fishermen on Lake Pontchartrain.
Many locals remain unemployed since the spill devastated opportunities to make a living from the water.
Julie Dermansky for The Washington Post
Gallery Credits:
