March 2008 Crawfish News. This newsletter covers information on springtime pond oxygen management, supplemental feeding, growth of crawfish, handling and care of crawfish, white spot syndrome virus update, and legal considerations in shipping crawfish.

This fact sheet provides information on chemical test kits and meters for measuring oxygen, the advantages and disadvantages of each, and a list of vendors where oxygen-measuring kits or meters can be purchased.

This report presents estimates of projected costs of producing crawfish in Louisiana for the 2008 season.

This article provides basic nutritional information on crawfish and guidelines for handling and care of live crawfish and crawfish tail-meat products. Several crawfish recipes are included.

January 2008 Crawfish News. This newsletter covers information on baits and baiting recommendations, commercial species of crawfish in Louisiana, algal scum problems in crawfish ponds and locations for February 2008 crawfish producer meetings.

Since 2001, the following research projects have been financially supported by the Louisiana Crawfish Promotion and Research Board.

Whether from managed ponds or wild habitats, Louisiana’s crawfish harvests comprise two species – red swamp crawfish (scientific name: Procambarus clarkii) and to a lesser extent white river crawfish (scientific name: Procambarus zonangulus). Anyone considering crawfish farming should review current information available from the LSU AgCenter and discuss their projects or business plans with an extension professional. This document is Chapter 1 in the Crawfish Production Manual.

Crawfish research and extension specialists in the LSU AgCenter often receive inquiries from producers regarding the need or benefit of liming ponds or fields used for crawfish production. The following article discusses calcium and water hardness requirements for crawfish, benefits and limitations of liming, and where to get your water and soil tested to determine if lime is required for your crawfish pond(s).

Dr. Robert Romaire, LSU AgCenter aquaculture specialist, said the white spot syndrome virus that struck numerous ponds earlier this year may not be as much of a problem after all. He said research, partially funded by crawfish producers’ self-assessed fees, is being done to learn more about the disease.

This glossary was developed to provide a better understanding of many of the terms used in the crawfish production manual. This document is the Glossary in the Louisiana Crawfish Production Manual.