« August 2006 Table of Contents 
Product Spotlight: Crawfish
In Louisiana, the major U.S. producer, price and supply are at Mother Nature's mercy
By Linda Skinner
August 01, 2006
Louisiana is famous for its crawfish, ce lebrated in
crawfish boils, po' boy sandwiches, étouffée and jambalaya. In
fact, the state produces 90 percent of total U.S. "mudbug"
landings from two native commercial species: red swamp crawfish
( Procambatus clarkii ), accounting for 70 to 80 percent of the
supply, and white river crawfish ( P. zonangulus ).
Roughly half of the state's production is farmed, in
rotation with rice, in ponds created by flooding agricultural
lands. The proportion of farmed to wild varies, but farming is
on the rise as conditions for wild crawfish deteriorate, says
Ray McClain, a professor of aquaculture at the Louisiana State
University Agriculture Center's Rice Research Station in
Crowley, La.
This year, he notes, there's virtually no wild harvest, and
"unofficial projections" for pond production are down anywhere
from 30 to 60 percent from the 73.8 million pounds harvested in
the 2004-05 season, which was a good one. McClain says the
infamous hurricanes had less impact on crawfish than drought
conditions last summer and fall, which decimated wild stocks.
Storm surge from the hurricanes put thousands of acres of ponds
out of production early in the current season, delaying farmed
supply.
The harvest season for both farmed and wild crawfish can
start as early as November and run into July. There's no
"typical" price, says McClain; it hinges on time of year, size
and supply, and there are many variables with this critter. Big
(10- to 12-count jumbos), young crawfish are most desirable,
since the shell hardens with maturity. A premium specimen, says
McClain, would be "large, young, easy-to-peel and free of
defects." These criteria contribute to the price
fluctuations.
Most crawfish are sold live in 40-pound bags, in season. If
demand dwindles and prices hold, crawfish are processed and
sold as fresh or frozen tail meat, usually with the fat left on
for enhanced flavor. For longer shelf life, tails can be
ordered with the fat washed off for a slightly higher
price.
Mudbugs are integral to Cajun country cuisine. At Voleo's
Seafood Restaurant in Lafitte, La., the SDLq special night time
menu" features an appetizer of Crawfish Enchiladas with Green
Chili Sauce for $6. For an entrée, there's Shrimp &
Crawfish Pasta for $14.95.
Acme Oyster and Seafood House, with locations in New
Orleans, Metairie and Covington, menus boiled crawfish from
December to July, seasonally priced. The restaurant also offers
Crawfish Étouffée, a robust local favorite seasoned in a
buttery roux with plump Louisiana crawfish tails over rice, at
$7.99 for small, $12.99 for large (add fried catfish tails for
$3.99) and a crawfish-tail po' boy for $8.99. Fried crawfish
tails are $7.99 as an appetizer.