May 9, 2005
Season Summary
This crawfish season ('04-'05) got off to a slow start during the winter; then an avalanche of crawfish hit the market in the spring, forcing prices to the lowest levels in 20 years. Apparently no one is happy with the situation. Farmers could catch truckloads of crawfish but are limited by the buyers or, in some cases, shut down from fishing.
Truckers are fighting to sell their loads before another truck pulls up to offer a lower price. Processing plants are choked with too many crawfish and not enough labor to handle the volume. The price of tail meat is coming down, leading to price wars on that commodity. Some consumers are complaining because a lot of peeler-size crawfish are being sold to the live market. But that is what they get for $10 per sack. In spite of all that, most farmers ended the season with a net profit from crawfish. It’s just discouraging that the profit could not have been more.
Stocking
As some ponds are being drained and other fields are being stocked for production next year, I’m getting lots of questions about the need for stocking and how to stock crawfish.
In most cases, ponds that had at least some production this season do not need to be restocked. Look along the edge of the pond for signs of crawfish burrowing. As the water warms and the crawfish mature with their heavy dark shell, they will move to the edge and begin digging. There is no hard and fast rule as to how many burrows are enough. That depends on the size of the pond and other survival factors. But as long as you see some burrows every few feet, you should have plenty of stock to populate the pond for next year. If you don’t find any crawfish burrows, then it may be wise to add 30 or 40 pounds per acre as insurance for next year.
New fields, whether they are rice fields or new crawfish ponds, need to be stocked with 50 to 60 pounds of mature crawfish per acre. You might add more than that if there is little or no grass cover on the levees for the crawfish to hide while digging. Stock the crawfish directly into the water along the edges of the pond. Within a few days, you should see signs of burrowing; leave the water on for at least two or three weeks after stocking.
The best time to stock is in May or early June. It’s still possible to stock in July, but the availability and health of the crawfish come into question the later you wait. The following are recommendations to consider:
- Select healthy crawfish (bright yellow fat, not tan or brown fat).
- Select mature crawfish (females with yellow, tan or brown eggs in head).
- Be sure at least 50% are female.
- Do not use crawfish that were stored in a cooler.
- Size is not important as long as they are mature and healthy.
- Source of stock (pond or Atchafalaya Basin) is not important.
- Move crawfish as fast as possible to the pond; keep wet and shaded from the sun.
- Use stock from more than one source over several days.
- Stock only Red Swamp Crawfish (remove any Whites).
- Stock all parts of the pond.
These things should help the survival of the brood stock once they are in the pond. Weather conditions the rest of the summer and particularly in August and September will affect their survival if rainfall is lacking. Also, once the pond is drained for the summer, do not do any significant levee work on top of the burrows. That can kill some of your brood stock. Normally, plowing in the middle of the field is not a problem as long as the levees are not disturbed.
If you have any further questions about stocking or other comments about the season. you can call me at 337-898-4335 or reach me by e-mail at mshirley@agcenter.lsu.edu.