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Field preparation is probably the most critical step for a successful crop of crawfish, and yet it is probably one of the least thought of processes. Months before the season begins, steps are already being taken to prepare the fields. People often ask, “Where do the crawfish come from? ” Well, the crawfish are already there. They just need a habitat to live in.
Crawfish are drawn to low areas with plenty of moisture. Since they have gills, they need moisture to “breath”. When these low areas dry up, crawfish burrow down to find wet areas to stay while they wait on the next rain. As they dig their holes, they create mounds that look like little mud chimneys. By flooding our fields, we provide an environment which becomes a prime breeding ground for the crawfish. The water also has to be deep enough to get special boats through the field to harvest the crawfish.
Our fields are not specifically for crawfish, but are alternated with rice, which also requires a flood. Elaborate systems of levees are created to hold the water in these fields. Levees are earth embankments used to hold water. These levees have to be larger for the crawfish field than for the rice field due to the depth of the flood. So the first thing that will be done in preparation for crawfish is to rework these levees, making sure that they are large enough to hold the water. Sometimes the levee will be completely torn down and rebuilt to ensure that there are no holes in the levee.
Next, the ground has to be disced to prepare to plant rice in the field.
Another question people often want to know is, “Do you feed the crawfish?” We do not actually feed the crawfish, but we do try to make sure there is food for the crawfish. Crawfish actually eat microorganisms that live in the water. These microorganisms live on vegetation that grows in the water. To ensure that there are plenty of microorganisms for the crawfish to eat, we plant rice in the crawfish field. Rice is good for this because it doesn’t mind the water, and this ensures that we are not introducing another plant into the field that would be detrimental to the field once it goes back into rice production.
After all this is completed, a flood is placed on the field.
If a field is scheduled to be used for crawfish in the spring, a flood will be introduced sometime in October. This field will remain flooded until the end of the crawfish season.
To flood a field, 50-100 acres of land will be covered with approximately a foot and a half to two feet of water. To accomplish this feat, large canals are utilized to bring the water from a local bayou to the field itself. The water is initially lifted out of the bayou with pumps and placed in canals. These canals utilize gravity to carry the water to the field. A system of gates determines which fields get water, and which ones don’t.
The field is now ready and waiting for the spring when harvesting begins.
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