Crawfish season is almost here, but if you're planning to have your first boil of the year during Carnival, you may want to hold off on those plans.
In fact, one expert says you may have to wait as late as the middle of spring before you get your hands on any crawfish.
"It's going to be the worst season ever in terms of crawfish supply," LSU AgCenter crawfish specialist Mark Shirley said. "We have very, very few crawfish surviving to come out in the fall, and that's why we have such a short supply right now."
Shirley told WWL's Tommy Tucker that last year's drought is to blame.
"Crawfish only die once, and those crawfish bury down in the ground during the summer," Shirley said. "It got so hot and dry that they just dried up in their burrows. Only few survived to come out in the fall."
Shirley says the Arctic blast that's expected to hit Louisiana next week will prevent the surviving crawfish from growing to their optimal size, causing even more problems for consumers.
"Next week, that's going to delay things even more," Shirley said. "It's just not looking good for crawfish at all."
All of that, Shirley says, means crawfish lovers will have to wait a little longer to get their fix, and once crawfish are available, they'll be sold at a premium.
"It's going to be record high prices," Shirley said. "You can probably find some toward the end of March, in April, (or) in May, but it's going to be a short supply from the farm.
"It's going to be the worst season ever."