While the crawfish season is off to an early start, the cold weather is causing some concern among hungry citizens of New Orleans about what the harvest might look like.
Mark Shirley of the LSU School of Agriculture and Louisiana Sea Grant says the cold will definitely impact the price and availability of crawfish for a while. "It's going to change week to week with the changes in weather. Crawfish are cold-blooded animals. Their attraction to the baits and traps really depends on temperature. The colder the temperature, the slower the catch," Shirley explains.
As far as being able to get your hands on some live or boiled crawfish yourself, Shirley has good news. "I think the catch will be good in terms of the actual supply of crawfish for this weekend," he points out.
That said, you might want to move quickly. "The coming freeze that we're expecting next week will slow down everything between the fishermen and the crawfish themselves. Speaking to the fishermen, none of them want to break ice to catch crawfish," notes Shirley. He is quick to point out that prices and availability should level out in late February when the springtime weather becomes more reliable and consistent.
While the waning availability of crawfish during these cold spells will inevitably impact the price based on supply and demand, Shirley is enthusiastic about encouraging Louisiana residents to get out and enjoy them while they're here.
"Think about it from the standpoint of the guy actually going out there to harvest those crawfish for you," Shirley notes. "That guy that is out there in the boat where the temperature is freezing and it's drizzling rain ... catching crawfish for you, the public. So let's reward them for their efforts out there getting cold and wet and not get so hung up on the price right now. Enjoy some crawfish now and enjoy them even more in the spring when they come even cheaper," adds Shirley.