Why Is Crawfish So Expensive In Texas? | Houston Public Media

Skip to content

Hello Houston is live! Join the conversation: Email | Call/Text | Watch | Listen

Boil House via Facebook

The price of crawfish in Texas rose about 33% due to the pandemic and last year’s winter storm, according to a report from the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension.

Live crawfish were around $3 per pound around College Station in 2020, according to A&M research. In 2022, that’s up to $4 per pound, or $120 per 30-pound bag.

The prices are even higher in areas farther from western Louisiana and Southeast Texas: in cities like Austin, Dallas and San Antonio, prices are as high as $5 per pound, according to aquaculture specialist Todd Sink.

That’s hurting crawfish farmers, since people usually eat crawfish in large social gatherings, Sink said.

"Even though they had a good harvest in 2019, 2020, it was hard to sell their crawfish because there just weren't as many people out and about doing those types of things," he said. "When we had the pandemic, and there was social distancing, and you know, everyone was quarantined, and things were shut down — well, you couldn’t have those big social gatherings.”

The price of crawfish also varies based on when you buy it. For instance, Sink said people tend to buy more crawfish around Easter.

"Most of the time it comes down to how far you are from crawfish production locations," he wrote in the report. "The bigger the market and farther away like Dallas, they can get expensive. Fuel prices have amped up those prices this year as well."

While the Winter Storm didn't kill crawfish crops, it did stunt their growth.

That means crawfish farmers who sell their crop by the pound typically have to sell more units of crawfish than usual.

"It's been a strange couple of years for crawfish producers," Sink said. "I'm looking forward to a year with a mild winter and without any disruptions. That should bump our numbers up.”

Support Comes From

Contact Us

Have a News Tip? Tell Houston Public Media

Related

• University of Houston gets No. 2 seed in NCAA Tournament, potential regional in its hometown
• Democrats set a turnout record in Texas, so is this the year it turns blue?
• Hardline House Freedom Caucus gains ground in Texas GOP primaries
• CenterPoint ramps up infrastructure inspections ahead of FIFA World Cup in Houston

Most Viewed

• ‘Definitely don’t touch it:’ Rare blue dragons spotted on Texas coast pack a strong punch
• Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo attends Europe trade mission amid calls for her resignation over rodeo dustup
• Public schools bombarded by families scrambling for special education assessments tied to Texas voucher money
• PFLAG must turn over records in Texas probe tied to transgender youth care ban, court rules
• A $1 million lamb, a $525K painting and a $316K turkey: Here are RodeoHouston’s record-breaking auction sales

Support Comes From

Haya Panjwani

Other Stories by Haya

• Texas Legislature adjourns its fourth special session, stalling on vouchers, teacher salaries
• Daniel Perry sentenced to 25 years in prison for murder of Garrett Foster at BLM protest in Austin
• Daniel Perry, whom Gov. Abbott wants to pardon, has a history of racist social media comments
• One year after U.S. evacuation, Afghan interpreter still feels 'heartbroken'

More Articles by This Author

Resources like these are made possible by the generosity of our community of donors, foundations, and corporate partners. Join others and make your gift to Houston Public Media today! DONATE

Sign up for our daily weekday newsletter - Hello, Houston!SIGN UP NOW