Crawfish, especially the red swamp crawfish (Procambarus clarkii) and the white river crawfish (Procambarus zonangulus), are suitable for culture because they are hardy and adaptable.
Crawfish production can be integrated with agricultural crop rotations, and the crawfish life cycle can be easily manipulated to fit a variety of cultural situations.
Crawfish aquaculture relies on control of pond hydrology to simulate optimal wet and dry conditions occurring in natural riverine and wetland habitats. Crawfish grow and mature during the wet or flooded cycle and survive the dry periods by digging burrows.
Crawfish ponds are filled in the fall to coincide with peak spawning of females in burrows. When burrows are filled with water, adults and juveniles leave the burrow and distribute themselves throughout the pond.
Crawfish production systems:
Crawfish ponds can be single crop and rotational. Single-crop ponds are in the same location every year with a continuous management scheme. Rotational ponds are those in which crawfish are rotated with other crops.
Rotational production also can mean rotating the physical location of the field in which crawfish are grown.
Single-crop ponds:
Single-crop ponds are constructed and managed solely for the purpose of culturing crawfish. Crawfish can be harvested in single- crop ponds 1 to 2 months longer than in some rotational systems because there is no overlap with planting, draining, and harvesting schedules of other crops.
The three principal types of ponds are cultivated forage ponds, naturally vegetated ponds, and wooded ponds. The following crawfish culture cycle is applicable to each of the three types:
April - May: Stock 50 to 60 pounds of adult crawfish per acre (new ponds only).
May - June: Drain pond over a 2- to 4-week period.
June - August: Plant crawfish forage or manage natural vegetation.
October: Reflood pond (based on air temperature).
November - May/June: Harvest crawfish.
May/June: Drain pond and repeat cycle without restocking crawfish.
Cultivated Forage Pond.
These are permanent ponds where a cultivated forage crop is established annually (Fig. 1). Ponds are usually tillable to facilitate planting and management of rice or other agronomic crops. Ponds are often designed with baffle levees and recirculation systems to improve production. Because they are intensively managed, cultivated forage ponds generally have the highest yields (pounds of crawfish) per acre.
Naturally Vegetated Ponds:
These are marsh impoundments and agricultural lands managed to encourage the growth of naturally occurring vegetation. Marsh ponds are typically constructed in wetland areas with large amounts of organic matter in the soil, which may lower water quality and decrease crawfish production.
Although these ponds may be managed exclusively for crawfish, they are generally not recommended for commercial crawfish production because yields are inconsistent. Agricultural lands unsuited for growing grain crops because of poor drainage or soils are sometimes used for naturally vegetated crawfish ponds.
It can be difficult to establish an adequate forage base with the proper balance of aquatic and terrestrial plant species. Water management also can be a problem. However, these kinds of ponds can sometimes be effective low-input production systems.
Wooded Ponds:
These ponds are built on heavy clay soils in forested (cypress-tupelo swamps) areas near drainage canals. Water temperatures tend to be lower because of shading. Wooded ponds have poor stands of vegetative forage; leaf litter provides the bulk of forage.
However, rapid leaf fall can cause water quality to deteriorate because oxygen may become depleted as leaves decay. Trees hinder water movement and obstruct access by harvesting boats, so they are sometimes removed. More intense water management is needed to maintain good water quality in wooded impoundments.
Wooded ponds usually produce fewer pounds of crawfish per acre than other production systems, but large crawfish may be produced at a profit. After several years of alternate flooding and drying, wooded ponds lose many hardwood trees. A natural vegetation base of terrestrial grasses and aquatic plants subsequently develops, which improves crawfish habitat.
There are some positive aspects of wooded ponds, including the potential for waterfowl hunting, the low initial start-up costs, and the ability to selectivly remove unwanted vegetation.
Authors:
W. Ray McClain , Jimmy L. Avery and Robert P. Romaire
