ACADIA PARISH — A recent stretch of freezing temperatures is slowing the start of crawfish season across South Louisiana, forcing farmers and restaurant owners to adjust as another cold weekend approaches.
“Every year is a new challenge. Well, once again, it was looking good as far as the catch. We were starting to catch pretty good in some ponds and then here comes the freeze,” said Brant Lamm, a crawfish farmer and restaurant owner.
Cold weather causes crawfish to become less active. Lamm explains that the freeze interrupted what had been a promising early stretch in some ponds, slowing daily harvests at a critical point in the season.
LSU AgCenter Professor Greg Lutz said cold temperatures effectively put crawfish on hold. “When it's cold like this, the crawfish are not cooperating. They're not doing anything. They're just sitting there,” Lutz said.
Lutz explained that when temperatures drop, the harvest timeline slows, delaying growth. With another cold front expected this weekend, he said the effects could last longer than just a few days.“Right now, our crawfish are on pause. So what that means for the consumers — it's going to take a while for this water to warm up, especially with this next front coming through over the weekend, and until the water warms up, we're not going to have much of a supply of crawfish,” Lutz said.
The slowdown is already affecting operations beyond the farm. Lamm is also the owner of the restaurant Crawfish Time, which relies heavily on steady daily catches. With limited supply, he said he has had to scale back how often he can harvest and operate to keep up with demand.
“Right now, we’re just trying to run every other day, just to keep enough for the restaurants we’re supplying,” Lamm said. He adds that crawfish availability and pricing are closely tied to how much can be caught on any given day.
“Crawfish is a true supply and demand product,” he said. “Soon as the catch picks up, the price will drop. I've never seen the catch pick up and the price not drop.”
While crawfish typically rebound once temperatures rise, producers say timing remains uncertain. Another freeze could push the season back further, extending the wait for stronger catches and more consistent supply.
“Your guess is as good as ours, but with another freeze coming next weekend, it’s not going to be good. It’s just delaying it — another week or so,” Lamm said.
For now, farmers and sellers remain in a holding pattern, closely watching forecasts and waiting for warmer temperatures to help the crawfish season regain momentum.
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