Amid Louisiana’s crawfish shortage, governor issues disaster declaration

By SARA CLINE
Associated Press

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Amid a crawfish shortage in Louisiana, Gov. Jeff Landry has issued a disaster declaration for the impacted industry. Last year’s drought, extreme heat, saltwater intrusion on the Mississippi River and a hard winter freeze in the Bayou State have devastated this year’s crawfish harvest. Louisiana is the nation’s top producer of the crustaceans that are a staple in Gulf Coast seafood boils. According to the governor’s office, during a typical year, the state generates anywhere from 175 million to 200 million pounds of crawfish — contributing $500 million to the state’s economy annually. Potential losses to the state’s crawfish industry are estimated to be nearly $140 million.