According to eater.com, Frugé Aquafarms and Cajun Crawfish in Branch, Louisiana holds the honor of being Louisiana's largest crawfish farm.
At a whopping 3,500 acres, Frugé Seafood Company produces between 1 million and 3 million pounds of crawfish each season.
Read MoreWhile crops like corn and rice are seeing a good harvest this year, Louisiana Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain estimates it will take years for the state crawfish industry to bounce back from last year’s historic drought. Strain says the effects of the drought won’t be fixed in a day.
Read MoreCrawfish season in Louisiana this year was heavily impacted by the summer drought in 2023, an arctic blast and rising costs for farmers.
Anyone who wanted to buy live or boiled crawfish faced sky-high prices at retailers. Crawfish prices remained higher than usual through much of the season, selling for as much as almost $13 per pound at one point.
Read MoreThe global crayfish market size is estimated to grow by USD 2.26 billion from 2024-2028, according to Technavio. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 6.15% during the forecast period. Growing demand for aquaculture-based fish varieties is driving market growth, with a trend towards demand for processed and packaged crayfish.
Read MoreThe Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission (LWFC) will reopen the oyster season in designated portions of the Public Oyster Seed Grounds in the Vermilion /Atchafalaya Bay area to allow bedding of oyster resource to private leases.
Read MoreLouisiana agriculture generates approximately $3 billion in sales each year, but in most years agricultural productivity is negatively affected by hurricane damage. Louisianans are familiar with the devastation and loss of life and property that can accompany a hurricane event as the state experiences, on average, one hurricane every three years. The total economic losses from a single hurricane can reach tens of billions of dollars, while agricultural losses can exceed one billion dollars. Louisiana is a major agricultural producer for the United States, but the structures, livestock, and crops are highly exposed to extreme wind and flooding during hurricane events.
Read MoreIndustry coalition Stronger America Through Seafood (SATS) today sent an letter signed by more than 50 leaders in the seafood industry to leaders of the House Natural Resources Committee in a demonstration of growing support for expanding aquaculture in U.S. federal waters to increase production of healthful, sustainable and affordable seafood in American communities. There are currently three offshore aquaculture related bills awaiting Committee action.
Read MoreThis memo provides a comprehensive overview of programs available to crawfish farmers and crawfish fishermen, the barriers we are working to address with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and the actions the Higgins Congressional office has taken to encourage federal and state government policy to assist the crawfish industry in Louisiana.
Read MoreClay Higgins and Troy Carter, congressmen from opposite sides of the aisle, have introduced a new bill that would give the Food and Drug Administration authority to destroy imported products that pose a significant public health concern, specifically contaminated seafood, the pair said in a release Thursday.
Read MoreAs the far-from-normal crawfish season comes to an end, we can all agree that the prices have been a lot higher than average.
As farmers and retail sellers battled with the drought we had last year, the prices of crawfish have been higher than normal as a result.
Read MoreCrawfish season is winding down, and to say it was an unpredictable one is an understatement. LSU Ag Center Crawfish specialist Mark Shirley said towards the end of the season April and May, supply increased in some fields, but that wasn’t the case for every crawfish farmer.
“There was still a significant amount of acres that were flooded back in the fall that did not produce any crawfish or produce so few crawfish that the farmers just did not harvest those fields.”
Read MoreLouisiana state lawmakers passed Senate Bill 166 during the 2024 legislative session. It cracks down on requirements for labeling domestic and foreign seafood. It means seafood businesses are prohibited from falsely claiming their seafood is domestic.
Read MoreWith the recent wave of severe weather hitting Louisiana and Texas, residents are being reminded to stay vigilant not only for the usual hazards like tornados and flooding but also for displaced wildlife. The alligator is one animal being moved around by floodwaters.
Read MoreGlenn Thibodaux knows a thing or two about alligators.
"I was raised in the country east of Morgan City so we had alligators, we called them pets,” Thibodaux said.
You could even call him an alligator whisperer.
Read MoreThings still aren't looking too good for crawfishermen out on the Basin.
KATC spent some time out in the swamp with Basin crawfisherman Ben Bienvenu to get a better look at what he's been seeing all season.
Read More
