Brandi Shelley, a registered intensive care unit nurse at Ochsner West Bank hospital, has a passion for the bayou. She can't stay away from the water.
Shelley owns Shelley Farms, an oyster farm in Bayou Hertesa in Port Sulphur in Plaquemines Parish. She also part-owner of Terry Shelley's Shucking House with her brother and father. The oyster farm and distribution company services Louisiana, Texas and Kentucky.
Read MoreNow that the Mardi Gras beads are mostly cleared from the utility lines and we are firmly in the Lenten season, Louisiana has shifted into a different kind of celebration—one built around backyard boils, spicy steam rising from giant pots, and tables covered in newspaper and crawfish shells.
Read MoreA Louisiana state lawmaker has introduced legislation that would allow the state government to seize and destroy seafood that violates state law in the latest effort to crack down on imported seafood – particularly shrimp.
Read MoreThe end of the Mardi Gras season means the beginning of Lent. For Catholics, it’s a season of restraint and fasting, which includes not eating any meat on Fridays, but for some New Orleans residents, that’s not necessarily a tough ask.
Read MoreIn the tiny town of Richard in Louisiana, Savoy Farms has 1,600 acres dedicated to raising crawfish. When we visited the farm near the beginning of this year’s crawfish season, farm owner David Savoy said his crop had a way to go.
Read MoreA slimy pest is plaguing Louisiana - causing utter destruction for crawfish and rice harvesters.
The apple snail, native to South America, is an invasive species that carries a parasite called rat lungworm, which can be fatal to humans and devastating to crops.
Read MoreLouisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) issued a disaster declaration for the crawfish industry Wednesday, according to a press release.
Read MoreI had my first platter of boiled crawfish for the 2026 season last week, and it was well worth the wait.
Crawfish Time on Ridge Road in Lafayette was bustling the week before Mardi Gras, with crowds in the restaurant and drive-thru focused on one thing: putting away 3 or 5 pounds of succulent, tender crawfish and fixings.
Read MoreA wave of freezing temperatures sweeping across the United States has slowed crawfish harvesting in South Louisiana, creating short-term supply delays and higher market prices for the state’s $300 million industry.
Read MoreAgents with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries used an aerial drone to spot an individual illegally harvesting hundreds of pounds of oysters in February.
Read MoreHot, spicy boiled shrimp straight from the pot is a popular item at Today's Ketch Seafood in Chalmette. Owner Jeff Pohlmann says in the restaurant's 41 years, they've only served seafood caught in Louisiana.
Read MoreLouisiana law requires restaurants to clearly indicate when they serve imported seafood, but hundreds have failed to do so, according to a review of state enforcement data from 2025.
Read MoreCongressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) wrote a letter to President Donald Trump and senior cabinet officials advocating for enhanced protections of the domestic shrimp industry after the framework of the new trade agreement between the U.S. and India included lower tariffs on Indian seafood.
Read MoreJosh Courville has harvested crawfish his whole life, but these days, he’s finding a less welcome catch in some of the fields he manages in southern Louisiana. Snails. Big ones.
Read MoreFarmers in Louisiana and Texas are facing growing threats from invasive species that are damaging rice fields and disrupting crawfish harvests, raising concerns for two industries that are closely linked and economically significant in the southern United States.
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