Crawfish harvest is decent this year compared to last year in the Crawfish Capital but experts believe low sales are affecting producers statewide. Chairman of Louisiana Crawfish Promotion and Research Board, David Savoy says a mixed bag of inflation and limited consumption has made this one of the worst seasons.
“Consumption is limited. It’s turned into a weekend deal. But the cost of everything we touch has gone up and our crawfish are 1970’s prices.”
Louisiana crawfish producers are only getting $1.25 to $1.35 a pound for their crops. Savoy says restaurants are earning $2.14 more per pound for boiled crawfish than producers are for live crawfish.
“You can’t pay the bait and the labor at that price.”
What crawfish producers are earning and the cost consumers are paying for the tasty red crustaceans are concerning for the crawfish industry for the remainder of the season.
“The consumer does not give a lot of concern to their own farms. They want it cheaper, cheaper, cheaper. That’s what they want and what you get with that is an elimination of the whole deal.”
Buying directly from the farmers and distributors will increase their returns. Crawfish season ends in July.
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