Those rigs are natural gas wells owned by a multitude of companies. They are prevalent the further west you get, inshore in Mobile Bay, as well as offshore. They are south of you as well, but further out, so they don't obstruct the view from your balcony.
As far as shrimp goes, we have pink shrimp (hoppers) in the spring, brown shrimp in the summer and white shrimp in the fall. The hoppers are my favorite, sweet, sweet. Royal Reds are caught far offshore and flash frozen. I think folks like them because they are big, but the flavor is not there at all for me.
