ST. MARTIN PARISH — Crawfish season is underway across Acadiana and local crawfish farmer Jude Mequet says early signs point to a steady and promising stretch for farmers and customers alike. He notes that warmer temperatures have played a key role in jump starting production sooner than expected.
“Once the warm weather kicked in, the crawfish really started coming out of the ground, and there wasn’t any more cool air to make them go back in the ground or make them go dormant again,” Mequet said.
He added the that warmer temperatures have shaped the season so far, helping increase activity in the ponds.
“With the warmer temperatures, we’ve noticed that a lot of the smaller crawfish, the juvenile crawfish, are making their way out the ground now,” he said.
As volume increases, Mequet said the size distribution in his traps has created a balanced product for buyers. “We have just enough small in the sack, just enough medium in the sack and just enough large and jumbos in the sack to have a really good mix,” he said.
A stretch of warm weather and low river levels have accelerated production beyond what Mequet projected at the start of the season.
“I really did think that by the time a volume of crawfish came in, it’d be after Easter, but we actually have a lot of— we’re getting a lot more warm temperatures now. We’re also noticing that there’s no water in the river, so the deep water fishermen are not really able to get out there and stretch out as much,” he said.
With more farm-raised crawfish reaching the market, Mequet said prices have remained relatively stable.
“Prices are low, I don’t see the prices really moving too much at this point; they may drop a little bit, they may go up a little bit with the demand that’s coming in, but for the most part, I'm pretty sure most people are going to be happy with the prices that’s going to be moving through crawfish season,” he said.
He also noted signs of molting in his catches, an indicator that crawfish are growing as temperatures rise and conditions remain favorable. Still, Mequet is watching how the market responds in the coming weeks.
“We’re hoping it doesn't change too much after Easter. We know with Easter, you know, the price is going to go down. Everybody is going to be catching crawfish. But if everything stays as is, my ponds and my business is going to be happy,” he said.
