Louisiana is the top producer of the crustacean, the staple of seafood boils along the Gulf Coast, and a shortage of crawfish prompted Gov. Jeff Landry on Wednesday to issue a disaster declaration to the affected industry.
Last year’s drought, intense heat, saltwater intrusion from the Mississippi River and severe winter freezes in the Bayou State devastated this year’s crawfish harvest and led to steep price increases for those buying the “mudbugs.” Landry said the shortage affects not only Louisiana’s economy but “our way of life.”
“All 365,000 acres of crawfish farms in Louisiana are affected by these conditions,” Landry said in a written statement Wednesday. “That’s why I’m issuing a disaster declaration. The crawfish industry needs all the support it can get right now.”
Landry’s disaster declaration, the legal basis to help secure federal resources, came shortly after Louisiana’s congressional delegation filed a request to free up federal aid to help farmers return home.
Louisiana’s crawfish production typically amounts to 175 million to 200 million pounds and contributes $500 million to the state’s economy annually, according to the governor’s office.
However, with 2023’s severe drought and extreme heat, one of the wettest states in the country typically experiences some of its driest conditions. As a result, weather dries out the soil where crayfish burrow to lay their eggs.
The Louisiana State University Agricultural Center estimates potential losses to the state’s crawfish industry at nearly $140 million.
“Louisiana’s crawfish industry is not only an economic driver for our state, it is an important part of our cultural heritage,” said Mike Strain, Commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry.
Crayfish have been fished commercially in Louisiana since at least the 1800s, and the state’s population is usually plentiful in late winter and throughout the spring.
The fresh or frozen tail meat of this lobster-like crustacean is used in a variety of dishes, including crawfish etouffee, gumbo and po’ boy sandwiches. But the most popular way to eat it is boiled with corn, potatoes and a variety of seasonings. Crawfish boils, in which pounds of freshly cooked crustaceans are poured onto communal tables, are popular during Mardi Gras and Lent, when many Catholics in southern Louisiana are looking for alternatives to meat. .
But this year, Strang said, some Mardi Gras festivities are still going on, but without gorging on crawfish, which is scarce and unaffordable for many.
This time last year, a pound of boiled crawfish cost $3 to $5.Restaurants across the state are now reportedly selling it for $10 to $12 per pound advocate in Baton Rouge.
“For the first time in years, crayfish will not be available due to continued drought in 2023 and freezing temperatures in early 2024,” Strang said in a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack last week.
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