USA: Drought pinched Louisiana’s crawfish harvest, but mudbug fans are weathering the shortage

Published 2024년 3월 22일

Tridge summary

Louisiana, the leading US producer of crawfish, is experiencing a severe shortage due to last year's drought, extreme heat, saltwater intrusion on the Mississippi River, and a hard winter freeze. This has led to a sharp rise in prices, with a pound of boiled crawfish now costing between $6 to $10, up from $3 to $5 last year. The shortage is also negatively impacting the state's economy, with the crawfish industry facing potential losses of nearly $140 million. In response, Governor Jeff Landry has declared a disaster for the industry.
Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — In Jeff Pohlmann’s 39 years of selling crawfish in Louisiana he has never seen the industry face such an abysmal shortage of “mudbugs.” Driven by last summer’s drought, extreme heat, saltwater intrusion on the Mississippi River and a hard winter freeze, the nation’s top producer of crawfish harvested a fraction of what is typical of the tiny crustaceans in a season — with tens of thousands of acres lost or failing. And while Louisianans are still buying and selling crawfish, a staple in Gulf Coast seafood boils and a part of Louisiana’s “way of life,” the crisis can be felt across the state. “I’ve never experienced this before and it hits you in the pocketbook,” said Pohlmann. At the annual Louisiana Crawfish Festival in St. Bernard Parish, fans chowing down on crawfish pasta, bread, pies and etouffee said the crustaceans have been limited so far this season. Some said they have yet to attend a crawfish boil, popular during Lent when many in the heavily ...
Source: AP

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