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Texas crawfish prices climb from pandemic and severe weather

Giovanni Handal
/
Wikimedia Commons

The shellfish is often consumed at communal crawfish boils, but few people gathered during the pandemic.

Crawfish prices continue to rise in Texas as crops have suffered from multiple natural disasters.

The Texas crawfish industry has struggled for the last three seasons, and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension says that’s due in part to how people usually eat crawfish. Aquaculture specialist Todd Sink says crawfish is consumed in larger social gatherings, which were difficult to have during the peak of the pandemic.

“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,” Sink said.

The 2021 winter storm and hurricane season also affected crops. The price per pound of live crawfish has jumped 33% since 2020, and is higher in cities like Austin and Dallas, which are further away from crawfish farms.

Haya Panjwani is a general assignment reporter for KUT. She also served as a legislative fellow for The Texas Newsroom during the 2021 legislative session.