Louisiana Ag Officials Confirm Good News for Crawfish Lovers

Louisiana is in a state of disarray. Now it's true, we the good people who make a living below the levees can sometimes find ourselves in a disorganized state after Mardi Gras but this has been worse than being "disorganized" this is more about "something is missing". And, that something for a lot of us has been crawfish.

Crawfish is a staple of the Louisiana diet and social scene this time of year. It fits nicely into our observation of the Lenten season. And to be honest, most of us just really like to eat crawfish because they taste good and when you boil up a pot or two of them, it's a guaranteed good time.

If you were unaware this year's crawfish season has been about as bad as I have seen things in my 25-plus years of living in South Louisiana. The drought and heat of the summer of 2023 has taken it's toll on crawfish season 2024. But as of last week Dr. Mike Strain, Louisiana's Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry had some encouraging news.

Speaking with the Louisiana Radio Network, Strain said this:

Right now the amount of crawfish in the last ten days have doubled, but it was still very low...went from about two weeks ago 9% of what we normally harvest,this week we're at about 18% of what we normally harvest.

Strain went on to say that March and April will be key to salvaging the crawfish season in Louisiana. He said the warmer weather over recent days got the crawfish out and feeding again but this past weekend's cold snap probably will slow down some of that activity.

The upcoming week should be good for getting the crawfish moving. Temperatures across Louisiana are expected to be seasonable with cool mornings and mild to warm temperatures in the afternoon. Ag industry experts believe this should allow for crawfish in Louisiana ponds to be more active, feeding more, and this will hopefully increase the supply.

A recent report on crawfish prices in the area by KADN Television found that the average price per pound in Lafayette was $11.15. That figure was down by 17% compared to one week ago but was still 71% higher than the seasonal and historical averages.