Commercial sales of crawfish in Louisiana date back to the late 1800s, and today's crawfish industry includes millions of pounds harvested from farms and natural habitats in the state. This publication covers a wide range of topics on crawfish production, including crawfish biology, pond design, forage management, stocking, water quality, harvesting, marketing and much more.

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.

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.

Whether from aquaculture or the natural fishery, the supply of live crawfish is highly seasonal, with peak harvest occurring from March through June. Supply-and-demand relationships are reflected in price variations from year to year and from week to week during the crawfish harvest season. Because of restricted geographical areas of production, seasonal supply, unstable prices and limited consumer awareness, crawfish sales nationally have been limited but have increased in recent years.

Pond inundation, or flooding, begins the chain of events that establish the environment from which crawfish obtain most of their nutrients. Put simply, the forage crop serves as the fuel for a food web, with crawfish at the top of the food web. This document is Chapter 5 in the Louisiana Crawfish Production Manual.

Pond location, design and construction are the most important physical factors for successful crawfish production. Proper design and construction give the crawfish farmer better control over flooding, drainage, forage management, water circulation and harvesting. This document is Chapter 4 in the Louisiana Crawfish Production Manual.

Methods used for crawfish aquaculture involve little more than limited control of the environmental conditions under which these animals evolved. Farming practices are based on the annual water cycles and conditions to which these crawfish have become adapted over millions of years. This document is Chapter 3 in the Louisiana Crawfish Production Manual.

The challenge farmers face this season is to produce a crawfish crop as inexpensively as possible. When to flood, how deep to flood and managing water quality must all be considered so as to pump as little as possible.

Procambarus clarkii (red swamp crawfish) and P. zonangulus (white river crawfish) have similar ecological requirements associated with natural cycles of flooding and drying. Both construct burrows in which they survive and reproduce during temporary dry periods. The highest densities and most complex population structures usually occur where crawfish have been grown in the same location for several consecutive seasons. This document is Chapter 2 in the Louisiana Crawfish Production Manual.

Captured "red swamp crawfish" vary widely in color because of their diet and environmental conditions, but the most exotic colors occur because of mutations in the genes that are responsible for pigment formation.

Over the last several years, crawfish farmers have been switching to a slightly different crawfish trap – one constructed of ¾-inch square mesh wire in lieu of those made from ¾-inch hexagonal (6-sided) mesh. The square mesh traps are more durable and produce larger catches.

Limited food resources near the end of the crawfish production season resulted in lower reproduction. Moreover, short-term feeding with high protein/high energy feeds in forage depleted ponds before crawfish burrowing seemed to mitigate the food shortages and even increased the spawning rate over those crawfish from ponds rich in forage.

Letter containing information managing water quality and the spacing of traps in the field.

This special additional newsletter discusses storm water management in your crawfish ponds associated with Hurricane Ike. Brief information on federal insurance programs is included and the new date of the La. Crawfish Farmers Association annual membership drive.

September 08 Crawfish News. This newsletter addresses fall flooding considerations, storm water management, pumping efficiency and energy cost, and relationship of temperature and crawfish growth.

This article discusses the life history and biology of the Procambarid crawfishes, the red swamp crawfish and white river crawfish.

(Distributed 09/05/08) Rain resulting from Hurricane Gustav across the crawfish-producing parishes of Louisiana may cause problems for crawfish producers, according to LSU AgCenter aquaculture specialists Greg Lutz and Mark Shirley.

Cattle, rice, sugarcane, crawfish, wildlife and alligators are among many of Hurricane Rita casualties in southwestern Louisiana.

Letter containing information on the affects of Hurricane Humberto on crawfish ponds and an announcement for the Louisiana Crawfish Farmers Association annual membership meeting.

This report presents estimates of production costs for the production of crawfish and catfish in Louisiana for 2005.

Including seafood as part of an overall balanced diet can provide many health benefits. This publication includes tips on selecting, storing and using seafood. (PDF Format Only)

This 1987 five-page article, written by Jay V. Huner and James E. Barr and published by the Louisiana Sea Grant Program, provides basic biological information on crawfishes, including taxonomy, anatomy, basic physiology, ecology and maintaining crawfish in aquaria for classroom activities. The material is suitable for high school-level biology.

July 2008. This newsletter has information on late-summer planting and management of crawfish forage crops, control measures for fall army worms, a brief overview on crawfish reproduction and an annoucement for an upcoming survey on crawfish production economics.

Existing ponds normally do not need to be restocked. New ponds require 50-60 pounds per acre of mature crawfish. Drain ponds 2-3 weeks after stocking to allow time for crawfish to burrow into the ground.

View the latest sampling results in a bar chart and table from 15 parishes.

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

Teachers' resource manual, based on grade level expectations (GLE), using crawfish as the subject model to provide teaching materials for the subject areas of English, Math, Science and Social Studies from grades kindergarden through 8th grade, and high school science laboratory excercises.

This table provides industry statistics, including dock-side price per pound, for Louisiana farm-raised and wild crawfish. Source of statistics is the Louisiana Summary, Agriculture & Natural Resources, years 1997 through 2007.

This document presents crawfish harvest production statistics in Louisiana from Aquaculture and Wild Crop from 1978 through 2007.

Farming crawfish requires pumping water. Pumping water costs money. Although there is really no way to get around these facts, we can take action to minimize pumping costs.

May 2008 Crawfish News. This newsletter provides information on forage planting, liming crawfish ponds, and stocking new, existing, and recently renovated ponds.

White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) has been confirmed in crawfish in a number of crawfish ponds in south Louisiana and in the Atchafalaya Basin. This is the first time this disease has been found in Louisiana crawfish. WSSV is a virus that only affects crustaceans. It does not affect people or other animals.

The crawfish aquaculture industry, located primarily in Louisiana, has remained viable and resilient despite some considerable constraints. Success can be attributed to several factors.

Freshwater crawfish of the genus Procambarus are a valuable aquaculture commodity in the southern United States, with annual production of 30 to 50 million pounds and farm-gatevalues of $25 to 50 million. Unlike fishes, crawfish are not harvested by seining. Instead, crawfish are harvested with a passive system that uses baited traps.

This report evaluates the economic impact of crawfish as a rotational crop on the rice enterprise, indentifying specific costs imposed on the rice enterprise unique to crawfish production and presenting relevant economic principles in the assignment of production costs to alternative farm enterprises from a farm accounting perspective.

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.

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.

The species of crawfish important in the southeastern United States are the red swamp crawfish (Procambarus clarkii) and the white river crawfish (Procambarus zonangulus). Culture methods are relatively simple compared to those for other aquatic animals. Crawfish culture can fit well with farm management plans because it uses marginal lands, existing labor and farm equipment during off-peak farming periods.

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

Whether you like them fried, boiled or in a stew, crawfish are a Louisiana favorite. And for the next six months, crawfish can be found on dinner tables and in backyard boils across the state. For consumers, the news is that crawfish production looks good right now in 2008.

Poor water quality that persists for days and weeks is detrimental to crawfish production. Water quality is influenced by many factors, both environmental and biological. This work supported in part by EPA Grant #C9-996102-08 through the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. (Chapter 7 of the Louisiana Crawfish Production Manual)

Crawfish aquaculture relies on control of pond hydrology to simulate optimal wet and dry conditions occurring in natural riverine and wet-land habitats. Crawfish grow and mature during the wet or flooded cycle and survive the dry periods by digging burrows.

When you think about crawfish, most people envision Louisiana parties, family gatherings and boiled crawfish. People enjoy crawfish for a number of reasons: crawfish are full of protein, low in calories and saturated fat, easy to prepare, and they taste great.

In Louisiana, two-thirds of the crawfish crop is generally harvested from March through June, when densities are highest and crawfish are most active. More than half of all production expenses are associated with harvest. Efficient harvesting is essential for crawfish farming profitability. This document is Chapter 8 in the Louisiana Crawfish Production Manual.

This slide presentation presented to the Louisiana Seafood Industry Advisory Council reviews biological and environmental factors that influence and control production of larger, more valuable, crawfish by farmers.

This article discusses various aspects of marketing crawfish with emphasis on Louisiana. Topics covered include: seasonal and annual supply, influence of Chinese imports on the industry, pricing, product forms, including live and processed product, marketing influences, purging and cleaning, transporting and storing live crawfish, production strategies for identified markets, and regulations and permits.

Introduced by the LSU AgCenter in 2004, Ecrevisse is the first rice cultivar specifically suited as a forage crop for crawfish production.

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).

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.

This report presents estimates of projected costs for crawfish and catfish production in Louisiana for 2007.

This study was designed to examine the biological and economical efficacy of relaying crawfish into a growing rice crop in an intercropping manner.