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A slow start to the crawfish season in Texas is raising some concerns—but the overall outlook is still steady.
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension says recent cold weather delayed the early harvest, which has meant limited supply in some stores, including in parts of San Antonio.
Todd Sink, Ph.D. is an aquaculture specialist and director of the Texas A&M AgriLife Aquatic Diagnostics Laboratory in Bryan-College Station. He said that while the harvest delay may initially result in some limited in-store availability, overall farm inventory is on par with an average year, and the supply lag should resolve as harvest ramps up.
“In terms of production, crawfish farms are having a normal year,” Sink said. “The only thing we’re seeing is the product didn’t make it to retail vendors as rapidly because of the late January freeze that slowed harvest for a few weeks.”
But experts say production itself is on track for a typical year, and availability should improve as the season ramps up.
With favorable weather now expected to contribute to improved conditions, experts are optimistic that the steady supply will last through Easter and through early and mid-April, allowing for an extended mudbug season.
The weather isn’t the only thing that affects the seasonal harvest of crawfish. Another impediment exists.
Sink said that while Louisiana still relies heavily on crawfish-and-rice field rotation farming, many Texas producers have transitioned to year-round pond production and avoided major impacts from rice delphacid, an invasive pest that has devastated thousands of acres of rice across the state.
Still, the pest remains a concern for Texas crawfish producers who do use the rice field rotation.
“While our producers thankfully haven’t been hit hard by these invasive pests yet, they’re very much on their minds,” Sink said.
An interesting artificial and coincidental schedule applied to crawfish season is Lent — the 40-day religious observance that leads to Easter Sunday.
Crawfish prices typically start higher at the beginning of the season, peak around Lent and taper off as the season slows in early summer.
For consumers, the 2026 season brings consistent pricing. This is a change from the rockier years of 2024 and 2025. Prices remain slightly elevated because of persistent demand, but they have dropped significantly from previous record highs.
Texas ranks second in the nation for crawfish production, with most farms concentrated along the Gulf Coast.
