Shrimp season closes Friday … Heavy rains threaten crawfish harvest

Hard out there for a shrimp: Louisiana’s Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has announced that fall shrimp season will close Friday in all state inside-waters east of the Mississippi River—except for the open waters of Breton and Chandeleur Sounds. The department says the closure provides an opportunity for the small white shrimp to reach larger, more valuable sizes.

All wet: As Mardi Gras gets closer, many in Louisiana look forward to consuming their favorite crustacean, the crawfish, but the heavy rains of the last two weeks may dampen the harvest’s outlook for this year. Fast-moving floodwater can prevent the vegetation from rotting and oxygenating water that crawfish dwell in, and levees being overtopped can allow crawfish to escape the pond and introduce crawfish-eating fish. If heavy winds accompany the flooding rains, levees can be damaged, causing producers to make time-consuming and costly repairs.