Baton Rouge –The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) released the results of a Louisiana resident commercial fishermen wild crawfish survey. The survey was sent to all Louisiana resident commercial fishermen who reported harvesting wild crawfish between July 1, 2008, and June 30, 2009, to obtain their opinion on a number of proposed or hypothetical changes in regulations or management practices.

Survey results indicate:

•58% of respondents preferred keeping the current year-round commercial crawfish season over a more restrictive season

•62.5% of respondents preferred keeping the current minimum commercial trap mesh size

•57.8% were strongly or moderately opposed to the adoption of a trap tagging system that would require tags on every commercial crawfish trap that identifies the owner

Included in the report is profile information about Louisiana’s wild crawfish harvesters and general information about the wild crawfish industry.

Report details include:

•Louisiana produced 127.3 million pounds of crawfish in 2008. Most came from farms and aquaculture operations. Approximately 15.5 million pounds, with a dockside value of $9.3 million, was harvested by licensed commercial fishermen from Louisiana’s rivers, bayous and other natural waterways.

•The average wild crawfish harvester has been harvesting crawfish for 22.02 years

•74% of the 2008-2009 commercial crawfish landings came from the Atchafalaya Basin

•78.2% of all Louisiana resident commercial wild crawfish harvesters reside in four parishes comprising or adjacent to the Atchafalaya Basin: Assumption, Iberville, St. Martin, and St. Mary

To view a complete copy of the report visit: www.wlf.louisiana.gov/pdfs/education/Crawfish-Harvesters-Report-2010.pdf, or contact LDWF Economist Jack Isaacs at 225-765–2605 or jisaacs@wlf.la.gov.