June 14, 2024 — Lawmakers in the U.S. state of Louisiana have passed a bill banning schools from purchasing foreign seafood to serve in school lunches.
HB 429 prohibits public schools and any other schools receiving state funding from serving imported seafood. The bill would also ban imported seafood from being served at the Louisiana House Dining Hall.
May 15, 2024 — Louisiana crawfish producers suffering from drought conditions now have access to emergency financial relief, following requests from state officials and representatives for federal action.
Last year was a difficult one for Southern crawfish producers, with extreme heat and a subsequent freeze causing a sudden decrease in crawfish production. The Louisiana State University’s Agriculture Center estimated the potential losses from the extreme weather to be nearly USD 140 million [EUR 130 million].
March 26, 2024 — The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is offering low-interest federal disaster loans to crawfish businesses in the U.S. state of Louisiana that were affected by extreme drought after the state’s governor issued a disaster declaration earlier in March 2024.
“The SBA’s mission-driven team stands ready to help Louisiana small businesses affected by the drought and resulting crawfish shortage,” SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman said. “We’re committed to providing federal disaster loans swiftly and efficiently, with a customer-centric approach to help businesses and communities weather this environmental and economic challenge.”
March 15, 2024 — If you’re a crawfish lover, you know finding this delicacy in east Texas has been a challenge. With a shortage in Louisiana restaurants here have taken a hit.
However, with crawfish boil season around the corner, some places are seeing lower prices and more crawfish on the way.
“Everybody that loves crawfish have been looking for them,” said Grace Murphy the owner of Double M Wholesale Seafood.
She says they’re getting back on track in delivering crawfish to their customers.
“Now, we are at the point where] we are getting a lot more in, deliver restaurants need,” said Murphy.
They serve over 30 restaurants across East Texas, from Nacogdoches to Terrell. So, when the drought in Louisiana dried up the crawfish supply they felt the pressure.
February 16, 2024 — Louisiana fisheries regulators voted Feb. 15 to potentially extend a current ¼-mile menhaden purse seine buffer zone to ½-mile coastwide, pulling back from a 1-mile setback requirement for menhaden fishermen.
In a unanimous vote the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission amend its earlier October 2023 notice of intent, reducing the proposed 1-mile coastwide menhaden fishing buffer to a half-mile coastwide buffer.
The amended notice would still set a 1-mile buffer for menhaden crews working in waters off Holly Beach in Cameron Parish. Commercial and recreational fishing advocates alike expressed support for the decision, after hard-fought months of debate to convince state officials.
Omega Protein menhaden processors and their fishing partners, Ocean Harvesters, say they support the commission’s decision “and look forward to a productive and safe 2024 fishing season,” starting April 15.
“Although none of the stakeholder groups achieved exactly what they were advocating for, that often makes the best compromise – to achieve an agreement through mutual concessions,” said Ben Landry, vice president of public affairs for Ocean Harvesters.
February 10, 2024 — Experts are predicting a drastic shortage of crawfish in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and in response, U.S. Representative Clay Higgins (R-Louisiana) is seeking federal financial relief.
“It’s going to be the worst season ever,” Louisiana State University AgCenter Representative Mark Shirley told the Louisiana Radio Network. “The population is just not there.”
January 30, 2024 — More than $42 million in federal fishery disaster relief is being allocated to help U.S. fishermen, from the hurricane-wracked Louisiana Gulf coast to Alaska’s Yukon River salmon communities.
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced the disaster aid packages Monday for Alaska, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oregon and the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe and Yurok Tribe fisheries, from 2017 to 2022.
“Sustainable fisheries are essential to the health of our communities and support the nation’s economic well-being,” Raimondo said in announcing the funding. “With these allocations, it is our hope that these funds help the affected communities and tribes recover from these disasters.”
January 18, 2024 — I’ve been a shrimper for over 45 years. It’s more than just a job; it’s a legacy that’s been passed down through generations in my family. Since I was 15, I’ve been working in the waters of Plaquemines Parish, my workplace, my passion, and my source of livelihood. Today, as I continue to bring the finest Gulf shrimp to your tables, I find myself fighting not only for my job but for the very soul of Louisiana’s shrimping heritage.
The recent rule by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) mandating the use of Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) on skimmer trawl vessels longer than 40 feet is a real threat to our community. This rule, though it may seem well-intentioned, is an example of overreach and disregard for our industry’s reality. That’s why, under my leadership, the Louisiana Shrimp Association is taking a stand by suing against this unfair regulation on the same day the Supreme Court is hearing arguments on the power of faraway bureaucrats in the Loper Bright case.
Our challenge isn’t about denying environmental stewardship; we shrimpers understand the importance of preserving marine life more than anyone else. Our problem lies in the NMFS’s lack of consideration for the real-world reasons and impact of this rule. Studies show that there is minimal interaction between sea turtles and shrimpers in the waters where we mostly operate, and our waters aren’t primary nesting sites for these creatures. However, the NMFS chose to ignore this evidence and push through a rule that could devastate our industry.
January 18, 2024 — The Louisiana Shrimp Association has sued the National Marine Fisheries Service over a federal rule that forces certain kinds of boats to use devices that allow turtles to escape fishing nets unharmed, the shrimper organization announced Wednesday.
Introduced in 2021 by the National Marine Fisheries Service, also known as NOAA Fisheries, the rule requires skimmer trawl vessels to equip turtle excluder devices, which let sea turtles escape when caught in a fisherman’s net. Skimmer trawl vessels have an L-shaped frame that allows for nets to be deployed below the boat in shallow, nearshore waters. The vessels are at risk for picking up sea turtles that live close to the surface, according to NOAA Fisheries.
The lawsuit, filed in New Orleans federal court on behalf of the Louisiana Shrimp Association by the Pelican Institute’s Center for Justice, says the rule violates federal law by failing to consider that sea turtles do not interact with shrimpers in inshore waters, according to a news release from the institute. The suit also claims sea turtle nesting sites are “thriving.”
January 16, 2024 — Boiled Louisiana crawfish go for as much as $16.99 a pound in the New Orleans metropolitan area. This is as the local crawfish industry faces many problems in this new year.
Seafood businesses said last year’s drought and the freezing weather are the causes.
Denny Lacoste is the owner of Dennis’ Seafood in Metairie. Lacoste said 2024 has not been good for his Metairie business.
Pots that sit in his kitchen would usually hold lots of crawfish this time of year. But right now, they are empty.
“This does not look good right now,” Lacoste said.
The 2023 drought killed crawfish that grow underground. This leaves Lacoste with no mudbugs to sell.
“It’s a big part of the business,” he said. They’re saying they are going to be very expensive and hard to get.”
He said crawfish would cost him $10 a pound wholesale. Lacoste said that is not something he is willing to do.