Continuing the CRAWDAQ throughout Acadiana series, we are in Acadia Parish this week, where we hear from an Acadia Parish crawfish farmer and restaurant owner.
The CRAWDAQ Index shows the rise and fall of crawfish prices in Lafayette Parish throughout the season, but this year, we're telling the story behind the numbers in all of Acadiana.
Louisiana crawfish catch, size increase after freeze delayed harvest houmatoday.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from houmatoday.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Winter weather temporarily froze crawfish harvesting and its market, but spring weather has started to melt away the effects as the catch and size increase.
The arctic air brought freezing temperatures, power outages and water-access issues across most of Louisiana. As a result, many of Acadiana s ponds had a thin layer of ice on the surface.
At the mud line, where crawfish grow, the temperature dropped to about 35 degrees, causing the cold-blood crustaceans metabolism to slow dramatically, said Mark Shirley, LSU AgCenter aquaculture specialist. The freeze didn t kill the crawfish; it just delayed the harvest and delayed growth, he said. At the same time, it was so cold, people didn’t move didn’t go out to eat. During that whole week, there was almost no demand because people didn’t get out or wouldn’t get out.