"The catches have been so minimal that in most areas they've quit fishing," Louisiana Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain said.
Strain told WWL's Tommy Tucker that crawfish farmers by and large have no product to sell, but it's not for a lack of trying.
Read MoreCrawfish season might as well be a holiday in Louisiana because of its popularity. This year might not be the greatest year for the mudbugs because of Mother Nature.
“We are hoping for a good season. That's always a great way to promote Louisiana. You know, every year we take one lucky crawfish, and we pardon it,” said Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser.
Read MoreLSU Ag Center Crawfish Specialist Mark Shirley warns crawfish connoisseurs that 2024 will be one of the worst mudbug seasons on record as far as prices and supply are concerned. He says it’s so dire farmers are averaging one to two mudbugs a trap.
Read MoreThe $36 million purchase from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) of the Louisiana shrimping industry was done to help alleviate some of the issues the industry has been struggling with for years.
United States Senator John Kennedy (R- La) says although he applauds the purchase, more still needs to be done to save the industry.
Read MoreIf you’ve enjoyed a crawfish boil in Colorado before 2024, it was illegal. That’s right — Colorado has had a longstanding ban on mudbugs.
But not anymore. As of Jan. 1, Coloradans can legally import, transport and possess Louisiana crawfish — officially named the red swamp crayfish — for human consumption.
Read MoreCrawfish are hard to come by in Louisiana so far this season, and producers say the fall's hot, dry weather is to blame. People are starting to notice since crawfish is a popular dish to serve around the holidays from Thanksgiving through Easter.
Read MoreLouisiana is the largest harvester of crawfish in the nation. There’s been a boiling uncertainty amongst some seafood businesses, as the state faces one of its driest seasons.
“The season will be a little shorter, so I’m going to encourage everyone when they’re available go ahead and get some,” said Mike Strain, Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture.
Read MoreThere is a boiling uncertainty in an area of Louisiana dubbed the “Crawfish Capital of the World.”
Farmers across the state are worried about this year’s crawfish crop, wondering if the “mudbugs” will emerge from their underground burrows, which can run three feet or more deep.
Read MoreI have already invited myself to multiple crawfish boils. I am ready for my lips to burn because I went too hard on the spicy crawfish. I am prepared for the best reason many of us live in Louisiana, crawfish season.
The temperatures plummeted and many of us had never seen temps so low in the Ark-La-Tex. We were so focused on our homes and businesses not having pipes burst that we forgot about temperatures ruining our crawfish season.
Read MoreSen. John Kennedy (R-La.) welcomed the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) decision to purchase $36 million of shrimp to help alleviate food insecurity. The USDA made the purchase under the Agriculture Act of 1935, which provides for national food assistance during emergencies.
Read MoreLouisiana produces 90% of the crawfish found in the United States. Most farmed crawfish come from rice fields in one 35-square-mile area near Welsh, Louisiana.
The industry is fairly new, only entering the mainstream in the 1980s as rice farmers began experimenting with cultivating crawfish in their fields.
Read MoreA truck carrying a load of alligator meat spilled all over the highway between Mud Avenue and Evangeline Thruway.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is purchasing up to USD 36 million (EUR 33 million) of wild shrimp from the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and the South Atlantic, U.S. Representative Garret Graves (R-Louisiana) announced in a press release.
The purchase is possible thanks to funds available under the USDA’s Section 32 Funds for Strengthening Markets, Income, and Supply, Graves’ office said.
Read MoreU.S. Representative Garret Graves (Louisiana) announced today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is purchasing up to $36 million of Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Wild-Caught Shrimp. This will alleviate pressure felt by Louisiana’s shrimp industry caused by natural disasters, higher fuel prices, labor and supply chain issues, and the effects of foreign governments flooding the market with illegally caught, foreign, farmed seafood. This purchase will also provide schools, food banks, and disaster-stricken households with another sustainable, nutritious source of protein.
Read MoreHave a summer of higher temperatures and a drought affected this year’s crawfish season?
“There’s nothing in that trap,” Devon Palomino of Lake Charles Crawfish said.
Each year Louisianians look forward to chowing down on some crawfish, but Palomino, a local farmer, said he is nervous for the season.
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