“It's an astronomical number to buy live and bring in here,” David Snell, owner of Cajun Crawfish Company, told WFAA.
LOUISVILLE, Texas — Ask the owner of Cajun Crawfish Company how business is going these days, and he'll tell you honestly.
“I'm not feeling well,” David Snell said Wednesday.
Snell has owned a crawfish business for 26 years. And Snell said he's never seen a crawfish shortage this bad in 26 years.
“We told people to read up on what's going on in Louisiana,” he told WFAA. “I mean, this is a huge deal and I've never seen anything this bad. This is the worst in the 26 years we've been doing this.”
Simply put, crayfish grow in rice fields and burrow underground in ponds. But Louisiana's summer heat and drought meant many missed the season. And crawfish businesses around the world are feeling the pinch.
“They're probably catching about 20 percent of what they normally would for this time of year,” Snell explained. “The amount of money we buy live and bring here is astronomical.”
He said it would cost almost twice what Mr Snell would normally pay per pound. Even if he could get what he needed.
“I’d rather turn down business,” he said.
Snell's is currently closed for a month, including Super Bowl Sunday and Fat Tuesday.
“I heard some people almost cried,” he said.
He said the good news is that prices are expected to fall some in the coming weeks.
“We've been telling people to wear their seat belts, but we expect prices to be higher and there may be limited supply, but we don't know yet,” he said.
