CROWLEY, La. (LOCAL 33)(FOX 44) – While crawfish usually isn’t on the menu for a lot of people until spring time, farmers and wholesalers, like Scott Broussard are already gearing up for the start of the season.

“Farming crawfish is a lot more complex than most people think,” Broussard says.

The complexity comes in with the water temperature and the depth. If you don’t get both of these elements just right, you might be out of a sale come crawfish season. That was the harsh reality for some people in the industry last year when the Atchafalaya flooded. Now, farmers and wholesalers are paying for last season’s shortcomings with smaller crop and ultimately smaller income.

“You’re going to get the poundage, but you won’t get the quality. We’re going to see more smaller crawfish this year.”

A lot of crawfish died last year during the floods, so the ones we’re seeing now are alot younger and ultimately a little smaller. This means the price for these guys might run anywhere between 3-4 dollars per pound versus the 4-5 you might normally see for bigger crawfish.

“I’m not saying there won’t be any quality crawfish, but the we’ll see more smaller ones this year.”

Crawfish season is fickle. Broussard says it could change any time depending on mother nature and demand for the crop. So we won’t really know the exact pricing until we hit the peak of the season.