The post-harvest handling of the crawfish is very important in maintaining the quality of the crawfish for marketing. Proper handling of the crawfish can insure a quality product for marketing while improper handling can make the crawfish not only unmarketable, but also cause a producer to lose markets. Crawfish are a premium product commanding a premium price and must be handled accordingly.
Proper handling begins during harvest. Freshly harvested crawfish should be kept out of the direct sunlight as much as is possible to keep them from exceeding their maximum lethal temperature of about 95oF and to keep their gills from drying out. By keeping the crawfish's gills moist, they are able to breathe air. Crawfish should not be stacked too high, either in crawfish sacks or tubs. Young crawfish, especially in the spring, have very tender, or thin, shells that are easily broken, or crushed.
Crawfish should be put in the holding system as soon after harvest as is possible. Holding
systems are the
method by which the crawfish are stored, live, until marketed. In many cases the crawfish will
be held for
several days to weeks before marketed. Holding systems can be a variety of systems. In
Louisiana, most
crawfish are sacked up in 50 pound onion sacks and stored in walk-in coolers at temperatures
of 38-42oF.
This method generally only assures survival for about 3-5 days. The cold slows down the
metabolism of
the crawfish, but the cool air being circulated has a tendency to dry out the crawfish, reducing
survival.
Another method of holding crawfish is to submerge them in water, either in water filled tanks
or in cages
within a contained amount of water. In either way, oxygenated water needs to circulated
through the
crawfish or the crawfish can suffocate.
Still another method that is used extensively in North
Carolina is
the use of spray systems. The crawfish are held under a misting spray on a hard surface so
that the water
does not pool, but drains away quickly. The moisture keeps the crawfish's gills moist and
allows it to
breathe air. This eliminates the need for the costly oxygenation of water. An added benefit
of holding
crawfish in systems other than cold storage is that the crawfish will purge its digestive tract in
36 to 48
hours, resulting a cleaner and more appealing crawfish. A disadvantage to holding crawfish
loose in a
confined area (as opposed to tightly sacked crawfish) is that crawfish are cannibalistic and the
larger
crawfish have a tendency to eat the smaller crawfish.
Crawfish are marketed retail by the producer to markets established by the producer. Current retail prices are $2.00 to $2.50 per pound for the live crawfish. There currently are no wholesale buyers of crawfish in North Carolina.