CRAWFISH
Crawfish (Procambarus clarkii), also called crayfish, crawdads, and mud bugs, are freshwater crustaceans found on every continent except for Africa. In appearance they greatly resemble the lobster, but are much smaller. Crawfish range in size between 3 to 10 inches depending on the species and the location. They grow throughout a series of molts by which they shed their exoskeleton and produce a new one. A crawfish nearly doubles its size with each molt.
Crawfish are both fished - from natural rivers, bayous, swamps, and lakes - and farmed. The main farmed species in the U.S. is the Red Swamp crawfish.
The U.S produces 60,000 metric tons of crawfish annually, with 90% of that coming from Louisiana. In a typical year, 50 to 60% of all crawfish produced in Louisiana come from culture ponds.
Crawfish are an excellent source of protein, and the fat content of washed tailmeat is low, only about 1 percent.
About 60,000 tons of crawfish are produced in the U.S. each year, with more than 50% are cultured in ponds.
The largest importer of U.S. crawfish is Sweden, which imports more than 2,500 tons each year from the U.S.
Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, is known as the "Crawfish Capital of the World".
Chris Hendrix holds the world record for eating Crawfish. He ate 331 crawfish in 12 minutes.
See also: Food Eating Contests
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