1. Culture of Red Swamp Crawfish,
Procambarus clarkii, in the U. S.

2. Distribution

3. Natural habitat - wetlands and swamps in southern
U. S., especially in the Mississippi River drainage.
Dry wetland
Flooded wetland

4. Food habits - omnivore; small invertebrates,
vegetation, detritus, attached algae
Reproduction
• Sexual maturity - 6 to 8 months
• Male deposits sperm packet in female
• Water Temperature - between 70 and 800F, May and June
in Alabama
• Female borrows into wet soil; eggs are laid and hatch in
borrow; no larval stages, eggs hatch into tiny crawfish
• soils containing borrows must hold water well as crawfish
and eggs must remain moist
• Females and young crawfish leave borrows in Fall during
flooding

5. Female with young
Chimneys protecting crawfish borrows

6. Production cycle 1. Ponds drained in late spring to encourage mature
crawfish to mate and borrow
2. A forage crop is planted in dry pond, rice is a common choice.
Rice can be planted only as a forage ( late planting ) or as a
grain crop ( early planting ).
3. Pond is reflooded in the Fall when young crawfish are ready
to forage.
4. Young crawfish forage on decaying vegetation and reach a
harvestable size by early Spring.

7. Typical crawfish pond design
recirculation pump
supply
pump
aerator
water supply
drain
Typical crawfish pond design

8. Crawfish ponds Pumped well water splashed over screens to
increase dissolved oxygen

9. Seeding Rice by
plane
Rice Forage

10. Aquatic plants as forage
Decaying forage

11. Paddlewheel aerator to prevent low
dissolved oxygen due to decaying vegetation

12. Crawfish sample to
check for harvest size
Harvest lane cut
in forage to set traps

13. Crawfish trap
Running traps

14. Formulated Bait Pellets
Cut fresh fish bait

15. Harvest boat
Hydraulic wheels to
move boat

16. Harvest boat crossing
levee
Producer grading crawfish to
size during harvest

17. Crawfish yields
800 to 1,000 kg/ha/yr

18. Harvested crawfish
Purging crawfish after
harvest to clean
intestines

19. Grading crawfish to
size
Live crawfish
transported to market

20. Crawfish processing
plant
Peeling crawfish
tail meat

21. Frozen tail meat
Frozen whole crawfish
for export

22. Boiled Crawfish

23. Advantages Disadvantages 1. feeds low on the food chain
2. easy to reproduce and culture
3. easy to transport live, moist and cool environment
Disadvantages
1. high expense in harvest ( bait and labor )
2. U. S. market is regional, some export to Europe
3. low dressout percentage, 18 to 20% of whole animal are tails
4. lower priced imports from China
5. sale price depends on strength of the wild catch

24. 90% of farmed crawfish in the U. S.
Louisiana
In 1998 Louisiana produced 36.1 million lbs
from 109,967 acres worth 22.5 million dollars.
90% of farmed crawfish in the U. S.

25. The End

26. Trends in U.S. and World Lobster Production, Imports and Exports
Joel Chetrick
Forest & Fishery Products Division
August 2006

27. Summary
World production of lobster increased steadily from 157,000 metric tons (MT) in 1980 to more than 233,000 MT in 1997 before stabilizing at levels near 230,000 MT through 2003 and rising to about 239,000 MT in Catches of American lobster (Homarus americanus) and spiny lobster (Panulirus spp.) accounted for 67 percent of world lobster production in Other important species included European lobster (Homarus gammarus) and rock lobster (Jasus spp.).
The United States and Canada are the world’s largest lobster producing countries, accounting for 37 percent of global production in Other major producers included the United Kingdom, Australia, among others.

28. Summary
In the United States, lobsters rank third in terms of commercial landed value for fishery products, trailing only the harvests of shrimp and crabs. American lobster accounted for 94 percent of U.S. lobster production, followed by spiny and slipper lobsters. Maine led all states, with 81 percent of the 40,079 MT of American lobster landed in Massachusetts and Rhode Island were also important producers of American lobster. Spiny lobster is harvested primarily in Florida and California.
World exports and imports of lobster grew steadily over the last decade. World lobster exports rose 87 percent, from $1.2 billion in 1992 to $2.2 billion in 2004, due primarily to increased sales of frozen and fresh/chilled products. Canada was the major exporter of live lobster products with $371 million in 2004, followed by the United States with $300 million. World lobster imports increased 63 percent, from $1.3 billion in 1992 to $2.1 billion in 2004, due mainly to increased demand for frozen and particularly live products in the hotel and restaurant sector. The United States was the major importer of live lobster with $290 million in 2004, followed by Canada with $138 million, and France, Spain and Italy, each with imports exceeding $50 million. The United States remained the largest importer of all lobster products, accounting for $1 billion or nearly 47 percent of global imports, followed by Japan with $178 million.

29. Summary
U.S. lobster exports grew by 245 percent in terms of value during , totaling $345 million in 2005, due to increased sales to Canada and the European Union (EU). Canada remained the largest market , accounting for 48 percent of export sales. Most U.S. exports to Canada are processed and then sent back to the U.S. market for domestic consumption or to be exported to other countries. Sales to the EU, the largest consumption market for U.S. lobster, accounted for 43 percent of the exports. U.S. imports of lobster reached $1.1 billion in 2005, up 119 percent from the 1992 level. Canada accounted for 64 percent of the imports.
Lobster is a high-priced commodity with consumer preferences varying from country to country.

30. World Lobster Production by CountryMT
Source: FAO

31. World Lobster Production by SpeciesMT
Source: FAO

32. U.S. Lobster Production by SpeciesMT
Source: NOAA/NMFS

33. World Lobster Exports by Country
$Million
Source: FAO

34. World Lobster Exports by Product
$Million
Source: FAO

35. World Lobster Imports by Country
$Million
Source: FAO

36. World Lobster Imports by Product
$Million
Source: FAO

37. U.S. Lobster Trade
$Million
Source: NOAA/NMFS

38. Consumer Preferences Worldwide:
- Lobster is a high-priced food primarily eaten primarily during holidays and special occasions, such as weddings and family celebrations.
- Canadian lobster is smaller than the size the United States is legally allowed to produce and therefore is sometimes favored in markets where lobster is sold by the piece, such as Japan.
Japan:
- Spiny lobster
Europe:
- High-priced European lobster is preferred over any other lobster.
- Spiny lobster is preferred in Spain.
- U.S. lobster competes with the European lobster and Norwegian prawns in EU markets.

39. U.S. Industry Contacts Maine Lobster Promotion Council
Tel. (207) / Fax (207)
Maine International Trade Center
Tel. (207) / Fax (207)
Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association
Tel. (781) / Fax (781)
Food Export USA-Northeast
Tel. (215) / Fax (215)