Photos shows the crawfish processing in Louisiana, an industry hit by a shortage of foreign workers
Mar 26, 2026, 2:57 AM
Juan Antonio harvests crawfish traps in a crawfish pond in Crowley, La., Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
CROWLEY, Louisiana (AP) — Spring is peak crawfish season in Louisiana, an industry worth about $300 million.
However, the industry is struggling this year due to a shortage of seasonal foreign workers, and some are blaming President Donald Trump’s administration for what they say has been a failure to authorize enough guest workers in time.
Large-scale crawfish producers use guest workers, many from Mexico and Central America, to shell and freeze the freshwater catch that is often pulled from swampy rice fields — physically demanding tasks that American workers are generally unwilling to do.
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