For Louisiana oysterman Tony Tesvich the last few years have been all about water, water, and more water. Too much, too little, poor quality, high salinity, low salinity, nitrogen, phosphates and hypoxia; over the past two years his oysters have been flooded with a host of water issues with the latest being the future plans of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CRPA).
Read MoreCrawfish farmers who rely on the Vermilion River to flood and drain their fields are only just now discovering the impact hurricanes Laura and Delta had on their crops. Philip Emanuel, who farms on about 45 acres in Breaux Bridge, stopped trapping last month after catching only enough crawfish to fill half a sack during his first run of the season.
Read MoreAt the peak of the 2020 crawfish season, Gov. John Bel Edwards had just issued a public health order closing all restaurants except for curbside takeout and delivery. The order caused restaurants to buy fewer crawfish — leading to an oversaturated crawfish market, a drop in prices and financial hurt to farmers.
Read MoreCrawfish season at Sammy’s on Highland Rd. is boiling up. The restaurant is excited to start the season after last year’s crawfish season was cancelled due to the pandemic.
Read MoreHow about some crawfish for a cold weekend in South Louisiana? Because of the high demand, some places are already boiling, just one week after New Year’s. And local restaurant workers are hopeful that this is a sign that we’re getting back to some sense of normalcy.
Read MoreYou can fish for rainbow trout starting Jan. 21 at the Bayou Country Sports Park in Houma. That's when the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will stock the park's ponds with the fish, part of of a continuing effort to provide more accessible fishing locations for residents.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reminds fisherman of the Jan. 15 deadline to apply for the Seafood Trade Relief Program (STRP), which provides support for fishermen impacted by retaliatory tariffs from foreign governments. For more information on the program, including guidance on how to apply, visit farmers.gov/seafood or call 877-508-8364 to speak directly with a USDA employee ready to offer assistance.
Read MoreSome crawfish farmers were hurt last spring when the coronavirus pandemic caused demand to plummet. But like anything else, many farms were able to rebound. Which makes the outlook for upcoming season maybe a cautiously optimistic one.
Read MoreIn January, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will survey catfish operations nationwide to provide an up-to-date measure of U.S. catfish inventories, sales, and water acreage used for production.
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