Louisiana's drastic crawfish shortage leads US congressman to call for federal aid

Experts are predicting a drastic shortage of crawfish in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and in response, U.S. Representative Clay Higgins (R-Louisiana) is seeking federal financial relief.“It’s going to be the worst season ever,” Louisiana State University AgCenter Representative Mark Shirley told the Louisiana Radio Network. “The population is just not there.”A severe drought in 2023, as well as a recent freeze, has had a devastating impact on domestic crawfish production, resulting in limited availability and higher prices. In a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Higgins asked for federal relief.“The 2023 drought has led to an alarming decrease in crawfish production across approximately 45,000 acres of ponds,” Higgins said. “This has been compounded by a recent freeze event, worsening challenges faced by our farmers. The Louisiana State University’s Agriculture Center estimated the potential losses to be nearly USD 140 million [EUR 130 million] due to ...