Louisiana Crawfish 2024 Update

[indaswamp]

Posted this in a different thread that went off topic, decided to start this thread to keep it separate.

Gonna be a tough year for crawfish with the mega drought in South Louisiana. Pond producers are bringing in 1/4~1/3 of what they would in a normal rain year. And prices reflect that...$8~10 per pound live right now. Flip side is, drought years are usually great for shrimp and crabs....more salt water in the brackish marshes is better for the shrimp and crab young. I expect to see more shrimp boils rather than crawfish boils this spring. The only outlier is the Atchafalaya spillway and the rise in the river. If production is good, that may lower prices, but overall, expect higher prices for Certified Louisiana crawfish.

https://www.wbrz.com/news/crawfish-...a-struggling-to-break-even-after-2023-drought

 

[indaswamp]

Rainy pattern all next week. Up to 5"-7" or so locally and that should help the crawfish situation. Will also be warmer into the 70's so more crawfish should come out of the ground to fill up the traps.

 

[crankybuzzard]

I hate to hear this, but from what I understand, this will be an overall good thing for future harvests.

I'll still have to do at least one crawfish boil just to keep my sanity!

 

[rw 12]

Posted this in a different thread that went off topic, decided to start this thread to keep it separate.

Gonna be a tough year for crawfish with the mega drought in South Louisiana. Pond producers are bringing in 1/4~1/3 of what they would in a normal rain year. And prices reflect that...$8~10 per pound live right now. Flip side is, drought years are usually great for shrimp and crabs....more salt water in the brackish marshes is better for the shrimp and crab young. I expect to see more shrimp boils rather than crawfish boils this spring. The only outlier is the Atchafalaya spillway and the rise in the river. If production is good, that may lower prices, but overall, expect higher prices for Certified Louisiana crawfish.

https://www.wbrz.com/news/crawfish-...a-struggling-to-break-even-after-2023-drought

You know its same story every year too hot too cold too dry too wet bla boa bla bla . I think they are too early on their prediction but at 8 to 13 a lb they can keep em ! I can go right there to sherburne wma and catch till my hearts content in the ponds but i guess we will see?

 

[indaswamp]

NOT GOOD....

https://www.wbrz.com/news/drought-k...h-population-damage-may-last-into-2025-season

 

[indaswamp]

This week, prices are approaching a $13.99 per pound.

...and Maine Lobster is $14/# right now.....in Louisiana! Wow......

Never thought I'd see the day that crawfish were the same price as Lobster.
https://www.wbrz.com/news/crawfish-tracker-a-brutal-start-to-the-season

 

[cptnding]

...and Maine Lobster is $14/# right now.....in Louisiana! Wow......

Never thought I'd see the day that crawfish were the same price as Lobster.
https://www.wbrz.com/news/crawfish-tracker-a-brutal-start-to-the-season

That's just plain ugly. Sounds like our annual crawfish boil at deer camp ain't happening this year. Bummer.

 

[SmokingUPnorth]

Hope it gets better for you all. I’m not familiar with prices, what did they use to be per lb?

 

[indaswamp]

This time of year? Between $4-6 per pound...

 

[millerbuilds]

We have been watching the prices as well and just yesterday were talking about switching from Crawfish to a Shrimp Boil for our annual Boil. They are talking that here in North Texas we could expect to pay $15/LB for sorted and graded live Crawfish. We typically figure 3lbs per women and kid and 5Lbs per Male adult.... going to be too rich for many of our attendees....

Jason

 

[indaswamp]

I foresee many more shrimp boils this spring. right now, 16/20 count shrimp are $3.99/# locally. And $0.75~1.00 less at the docks. And about $1.50 less if you buy off a boat. $2.50/# off a boat ain't bad right now...

 

[indaswamp]

"They had hard numbers that showed less than 5-percent. They were running about 3-percent of their annual catch. They had month-to-month, December to January but that's started to pick up some," Brown said.

https://www.wbrz.com/news/gov-landr...es-to-get-federal-relief-for-crawfish-farmers

 

[mosparky]

Courious how this will efffectr prices here in the midwest. Seems all the crawfish we have available here are frozen and imported from Vietnam of all places.
Makes me wonder, why the "F" do we need to import crawfish of all things, from VIETNAM of all places !! I better stop there before consequences.