News

Crawfish popularity hits new high in United States

Frozen Crayfish
United States
Published Jan 4, 2022

Tridge summary

They are called by many names: crawfish, crayfish, crawdads and mudbugs; but by any name, their popularity is booming. According to Samantha Carroll, executive director of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board in Baton Rouge, the popularity of US crawfish is growing not just in the US but also in China. “We saw firsthand just how big of a deal crawfish is in China now during a Louisiana Tourism promotional trip our office took years ago to Beijing,” said Carroll.

Original content

“They had streets lined with hundreds and hundreds of restaurants, with four-hour waits for people to eat crawfish. Of course we waited and it was quite funny because the waitress assured us we wouldn’t know how to eat them. “Little did she know we were from Louisiana and that we’re experts in all things crawfish. My husband and his family have their own crawfish farm in Louisiana.” Commercial farming of crawfish began in the late 1800s. Prior to that, people were fishing for wild crawfish in bayous and other natural waters in Louisiana. “Crawfish popularity has grown dramatically within the last 15 years and continues to grow at astounding rates,” said Justin Smith of the Louisiana Crawfish Co in Natchitoches, LA. “When people taste them they have to have them again and again.” Fame came to crawfish in 1983 when it was designated as Louisiana’s official crustacean. In 2019, Louisiana recorded over 250,000 acres of crawfish ponds and over 1,600 farmers. The state harvests around ...
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