Consumers likely don't think twice about where the shrimp or seafood bought at grocery store comes from, but Louisiana fisherman—and now federal lawmakers—are asking people to pay attention.
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In New Orleans and much of the South, crawfish is more than just a delicacy; it is a worshiped food group of its own, and one that residents mark on their calendars as its season. For many families in Louisiana and the surrounding areas, it serves as the centerpiece of family gatherings, graduation celebrations, and holidays like Mardi Gras. During these times, you can smell the crawfish boiling in practically everyone’s backyard.
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For a creature that lives in the hostile environment of Louisiana's swamps and marshes, the crawfish can certainly be a fragile creature. While the crawfish's tough exterior and menacing pinchers certainly make it an imposing creature to look at, the creatures are actually quite sensitive to even the most minute changes in their environment. So, when their environment has really been upended it doesn't bode well.
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Louisiana elected officials are rallying to find solutions to help protect the state’s shrimp fishermen from cheap foreign shrimp that critics say is depriving shrimpers of their livelihood and undermining public health.
Last month, the state Legislature’s Seafood Safety Task Force met to consider ways to stem the influx of shrimp from China and other nations amid concerns that the imported seafood may contain impurities that pose risks to the health of Louisianans.
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For months, Louisiana oyster farmer Mitch Jurisich, Jr. watched the Mississippi as an invisible surge of Gulf of Mexico salt water crept up the tail end of the river, twisting along levees through bayous and marshes toward New Orleans.
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The American alligator has long been a historical symbol for the state. Louisiana residents recognized the value of this symbol after the alligator was placed on the endangered species list in 1967. To save the alligator, investments by both government and the private sector resulted in the creation of an alligator management plan in Louisiana.
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U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) introduced two bills to protect Louisiana rice and shrimp against China and India’s dumping of cheap shrimp and produce into U.S. markets. The Prioritizing Offensive Agricultural Disputes and Enforcement Act and the India Shrimp Tariff Act will both protect the Louisiana agricultural industry while ensuring that food that appears on U.S. store shelves meets U.S. health standards.
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Gov. John Bel Edwards has requested an emergency declaration for disaster relief for Louisiana shrimpers amid a flood of foreign shrimp that has driven dockside prices to below $1 per pound.
Edwards made the request in late August at the behest of the Louisiana Shrimp Association, which penned a letter to the governor in August seeking the declaration, the first step in securing disaster relief funding for shrimpers from the federal government.
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Most people aren't thinking about crawfish season yet, but the cycle of producing crawfish for those springtime boils is already underway.
Mike Frugé, co-owner of Frugé Aquafarms in Acadia Parish has been preparing his fields for the early crawfish season. He introduced the seed crawfish in May to the rice crop he planted in March or April.
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Do you know what other countries, that import food to the United States, do to their seafood? It's GROSS! That's why this Louisiana Congressman is pushing to protect/support the Louisiana seafood industry.
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While crawfish season begins in January, drought conditions could have an impact on the state’s $230 million dollar crawfish industry. LSU AgCenter Area Agent for crawfish production Todd Fontenot says producers are already flushing their fields to reduce cracking.
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Dry conditions in the area are causing major problems for Louisiana’s $230 million dollar crawfish industry. The excessive heat and drought are making it difficult for Louisiana crawfish farmers to maintain their land.
Alan Lawson, a crawfish and rice farmer in Crowley, said it costs him lots of money just to irrigate crops.
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After a long wait, Louisiana's fisheries finally will receive $58 million in federal aid to offset disaster impacts, U.S. Rep. Garret Graves announced.
The Baton Rouge area congressman worked to secure the federal assistance in 2020 after multiple disasters affected the state's fisheries in 2019.
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Louisiana produces 90% of the United States' crawfish. Most of the farmed crawfish comes from rice fields in one small area of Cajun country. There, the industry is fairly new. In the 1980s, rice farmers experimented with cultivating crawfish in their fields.
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The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission announced the opening dates for the fall inshore shrimp season Aug. 7.
Meanwhile, Louisiana lawmakers have called on Congress to protect the domestic seafood industry as shrimp harvesters face low prices due to large amounts of imported shrimp.
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