The remarkable growth of Louisiana’s crawfish industry

By Dr. Paul Coreil

Few agricultural success stories are more uniquely Louisiana than the remarkable growth of crawfish farming. What began as a relatively small agricultural enterprise has evolved into a major contributor to the state’s economy. Amazingly, Louisiana now produces an estimated 90 to 95 percent of the nation’s crawfish! I was fortunate to witness and participate in part of that transformational growth during my early career with the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service.

After completing my graduate studies at LSU in 1978, I accepted a position as an Area Extension Agent serving Cameron and Calcasieu parishes. My position was funded through and affiliated with the National Sea Grant College Program, which was authorized by Congress in 1966 to support research, education and outreach related to coastal and marine resources as well as aquaculture.

The Louisiana Sea Grant Program was established at LSU, the state’s Land Grant institution. Extension agents working through Sea Grant were officially designated nationally as Marine Advisory Agents, however, many people in the parishes served continued to call them “county agents,” a more traditional Land Grant University affiliated title.

In 1978, Cameron and Calcasieu were the last two coastal Louisiana parishes to be assigned a Sea Grant Extension Agent. That gave me the distinction of being the first Sea Grant Agent in those two parishes tasked to develop and implement wetland and coastal resource education and outreach programs (which included aquaculture). I must say it was a challenging but very rewarding experience.

The Crawfish Industry Takes Off

During the 1970s, the entire state of Louisiana had approximately 45,000 to 50,000 acres devoted to managed crawfish production. The industry began expanding rapidly during the 1980s, particularly throughout the rice-producing areas of Southwest Louisiana. One of the most important developments was the emergence of rice-crawfish double-cropping systems refined through cutting-edge research conducted by the LSU AgCenter.

The concept was relatively simple but economically powerful. Farmers could produce rice and crawfish on the same land through production cycle management. Instead of relying on a single crop, rice producers could add crawfish as another source of income and improve the overall profitability of their farming operations.

A strong partnership between researchers, Extension educators and farmers helped accelerate the industry's growth. The numbers tell the story, Louisiana’s crawfish acreage exceeded 120,000 acres by 1990 and surpassed 225,000 acres by 2016. More recent LSU AgCenter estimates place statewide crawfish acreage at approximately 400,000 acres, with the vast majority concentrated in Southwest Louisiana, where much of the state's rice production is also located. St. Martin, Acadia and Jeff Davis parishes have some of the highest concentrations of crawfish acreage in the state.

Taking Research to the Farm

During my 14 years as an Extension Agent in Cameron and Calcasieu parishes, developing and delivering crawfish farming educational programs became an important part of my work. One of the most rewarding aspects was partnering with McNeese State University to conduct crawfish farming seminars for farmers and landowners throughout the region. McNeese was an excellent partner, and LSU AgCenter specialists regularly participated by sharing the latest research-based information on crawfish production and management.

We often held these programs and field days at working commercial crawfish farms rather than in a classroom, which made a tremendous difference. Farmers could see an actual crawfish operation, observe production practices firsthand, ask questions and talk directly with producers who were managing crawfish ponds. These hands-on programs were especially valuable during the 1980s and 1990s, when farmers were actively searching for better ways to improve production and profitability. Extension's role was to help bridge the gap between university research and practical application on the farm.

The Crawfish Purging Experiment

One particularly interesting development I encountered during the 1980s was the practice of purging live crawfish before they were sold to restaurants, wholesalers and other buyers. The practice originated in Southeast Texas and was adopted by some crawfish producers in Calcasieu Parish.

Traditionally, crawfish were harvested from baited wire traps, placed into mesh sacks, refrigerated and transported to market. As the industry became more sophisticated, farmers began washing and grading their harvest to improve product quality and market value. Purging represented another attempt to add value.

Under the system, live crawfish were placed in holding cages containing highly oxygenated water and were not fed during the process. The goal was to allow the crawfish to empty their digestive tracts, producing what was considered a cleaner product for consumers. Several Calcasieu Parish farmers experimented with the technology as they looked for ways to distinguish their products and increase their market value.

Even though purged crawfish were cleaner, most Louisianians were already accustomed to seeing the dark digestive tract line inside the crawfish tail and they knew how to remove it themselves when peeling boiled crawfish. As a result, there was relatively little consumer demand for purged crawfish, and the practice never became widespread in Louisiana. According to LSU AgCenter estimates, only about 5 percent of today's crawfish farmers operate purging systems today. Washing and grading, however, remain common practices for producers seeking to improve product quality and add value to their harvest.

Crawfish: Major La. Agricultural Enterprise

Today, the rice-crawfish double-cropping system has become an important component of Louisiana agriculture. For many rice farmers, crawfish production provides an additional source of income while making productive use of the same land. The system has helped strengthen the economic viability of numerous farming operations throughout Southwest Louisiana. LSU AgCenter estimates indicate that the 2025 farm-gate value of pond-raised crawfish in Louisiana exceeded $300 million, representing a tremendous rebound from the drought impacted 2024 harvest season.

Those numbers would have been difficult to imagine when I first began working with farmers in Cameron and Calcasieu parishes in 1978. At that time, crawfish farming was still a relatively small and developing agricultural enterprise. Looking back, I feel fortunate to have been actively involved during those early years when the industry was rapidly expanding.

A Louisiana Success Story

The story of Louisiana crawfish farming is much more than a story about a popular food tradition. It is a story about innovation, research, education, entrepreneurship and cooperation.

Farmers were willing to try new production systems. University scientists conducted research to solve practical problems. Extension educators helped translate that research into information farmers could use. Universities and other organizations provided educational opportunities and helped producers adapt to a rapidly changing industry.

Together, those efforts helped transform crawfish farming into one of Louisiana's most recognizable and economically important agricultural enterprises.

Today, Louisiana remains the nation's undisputed leader in crawfish production, producing an estimated 90 to 95 percent of the country's supply. I am proud to have played a small part in what is a unique Louisiana success story.

Until next time,

Paul Coreil