August 1, 2025 — Louisiana lawmakers have introduced new bipartisan legislation aimed at providing federal disaster relief to crawfish fisheries,
Currently, wild-caught crawfish are not eligible for disaster relief through the U.S. Department of Agriculture or under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, which governs most federal fishery management.
The Fisheries Modernization Act (H.R. 4800), introduced by Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., and Cleo Fields, D-La., would modify the legislation to specifically include red swamp crawfish and white river crawfish — two species central to Louisiana’s wild-caught industry. If passed, the measure would allow the Commerce Secretary to declare a fishery disaster for these species in the event of environmental catastrophes, infrastructure failures, or other crises that lead to significant drops in population or revenue.