Shrimping to close Saturday in Pontchartrain Basin

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says the 2012 spring inshore shrimp season will close at 6 a.m. Saturday in most remaining state inside waters east of the Mississippi River. The closure is designed to protect developing white shrimp.

The open waters of Breton and Chandeleur Sounds will remain open, but all other inside waters will be closed to shrimping.

All state outside waters remain open to shrimping except for some areas still closed because of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Maps are at www.wlf.louisiana.gov/oilspill.

State biologists say they're finding more small juvenile white shrimp in the waters that will close Saturday to give them a chance to grow to more marketable sizes.