Early Mardi Gras, fluctuating temps make crawfish supplies inconsistent
Though the Saints did not play in the Super Bowl, demand for crawfish has been consistent this season, keeping supplies on the “scarce” side, according to Willie Hebert of Hebert’s Seafood.
“We just need some consistent weather–with the constant temperature change the crawfish go into molting, and when they’re molting they don’t bite,” Hebert said. “This past week we’ve had some decent weather and things have improved a bit, but that could change.”
Hebert’s is currently selling a pound of live crawfish for $3.59.
Eric Donnaud, manager of the Seafood Pot in Destrehan, said the recent temperature dips have affected yields, but not significantly. Donnaud said they were selling live crawfish for $4 per live pound in the last week. According to Donnaud, this is approximately $1 less per pound than crawfish were selling for at this time last year. This, he said, is in spite of the slight increase in price as a result of an early Mardi Gras.
“[Early Mardi Gras] does keep the price a little higher,” Donnaud said. “After Easter is when the price gets real good for the consumer.”
Regardless of the supply, Hebert said that hasn’t stopped customers from seeking out crawfish wherever they can find the tasty crustaceans.
“When things are tight we get calls from Baton Rouge, Lockport, Houma, New Orleans—we get people coming from Reserve. When things are short I think people get on the phone or the internet and start searching for their fix,” laughed Hebert. “You know, it’s early, the crawfish haven’t become plentiful just yet.”
Donnaud remained optimistic about this year’s crawfish crop.“It should be a really good year,” he said.
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