Mike Doguet has raised crawfish on his rice farm at China, Texas (near Beaumont) since 1990. Doguet holds a Red Swamp crawfish in his right hand, and a submersible wire trap, used to harvest crawfish, in his left.

Crawfish: Demand exceeds supply but farming is no panacea

By TOM HARGROVE

Crawfish is probably the only U.S. farm product with higher demand than supply.

"But that doesn't mean it's always profitable," says Mike Doguet, who has grown crawfish in rotation with rice since 1990 near Beaumont, Texas.

"Crawfish farming is labor-intensive," Doguet explains. "I can farm 700 acres of rice with two laborers—but I need seven or eight helpers to farm 500 acres of crawfish."

Growing crawfish

Rice-crawfish farmers in the South generally stock rice fields with 50 to 60 pounds of adult crawfish per acre at permanent flood in June, when rice is 8 to 10 inches high. The crustaceans burrow underground when the farmers drain fields and harvest rice in late August or September. The farmers then fertilize and flood the stubble in October to ratoon or regrow as forage. Crawfish emerge from their burrows about a day after ponds are flooded. Newly hatched crawfish, attached to the underside of females' tails, grow to market size in 90 to 120 days.

Otters and raccoons are the main crawfish pests. "We keep water 18 inches deep so birds can't land and eat the crawfish," Doguet says. "Not even cranes will land in water that touches their bodies."

Crawfish for the Super Bowl

The harvest begins around January.

"We want crawfish on the market in time for the Super Bowl," Doguet says.

For harvest, farmers submerge wire traps baited with fish products, and with funnels that allow the crawfish entry. To eliminate a muddy taste, farmers usually "purge" crawfish in fresh water for 24 hours before marketing.

Crawfish are graded by size, like shrimp. Crawfish that number about 21-30 per pound are classified as "peelers," and used as tail meat, or for stocking fish ponds. Those that number 16-20 per pound are "medium" or "restaurant grade," and give the highest percentage of meat. "Jumbos"--10-15 per pound—are highest in demand, but sometimes hard to peel.

The harvest peaks in April and May. "As the water warms, the crawfish get fatter and more aggressive," Doguet explains. "That's when the quality is best."

Harvesting usually ends around late June, when most vegetation has decomposed and crawfish tend to taste muddy.

But June is too late to plant a new rice crop. Some farmers plant soybeans but most, like Doguet, leave their fields fallow until the next spring, then plant rice again.

"The soil is softer and easier to work after a season of crawfish," Doguet says. "Also, the crawfish help control red rice. It's like rotating rice with soybeans."

Crawfish species

Selective breeding to improve desired crawfish traits such as higher meat yield hasn't been very successful, says Dr. Ray McClain, aquaculturist at the Louisiana State University Rice Research Station, Crowley. "The crawfish is a primitive animal that has changed little since prehistoric times. Genetic differences within crawfish species seem small compared with environmental influences."

Two crawfish species—the Red Swamp and the White River--are grown or harvested wild in the South. Consumers generally prefer the Red Swamp because it turns a brighter red when boiled, and produces a more desirable "tail fat"—which isn't really fat, but a yellow digestive tissue with a sweet flavor.

The actual fat content of washed crawfish tailmeat is low, only about 1%. Crawfish may be eaten alone, or cooked in traditional dishes such as crawfish stew, jambalaya, bisque, or etouffee.

How does Mike Doguet prefer his crawfish?

"Boiled, with boiled corn and potatoes!" the crustacean farmer says.