Crawfish prices back to normal, just in time for the Big Game

(KLFY) — Crawfish lovers who experienced sticker shock to start the season can rest easier now.

According to Laney King, co-founder of the Crawfish App mobile app, prices have dropped back to what most would consider normal, in time for the Super Bowl.

“We expect crawfish prices to stay about the same going into next week and Super Bowl weekend,” King said. “As long as the weather cooperates.”

The Crawfish App is a free mobile app that tracks prices on live and boiled crawfish from over 850 crawfish vendor listings in Louisiana and 1600 across the South.  

Thanks to the $1.50 per pound price drop over the last two weeks, crawfish prices this week are almost exactly what they were this week in 2022. Statewide, consumers can expect to pay around $5.99/lb for boiled crawfish and $3.50/lb for medium-sized live crawfish, or around $100-125/sack, King said.

“After an unprecedented high start to crawfish season in mid-January, crawfish consumers spoke and refused to purchase crawfish at those prices,” King said. “This low demand created high supply at the docks and the following week crawfish prices dropped $1/lb. Then last week, prices dropped another 50 cents per pound.” 

The combined $1.50/lb price drop spurred demand for crawfish again and last weekend “was a great one” according to many crawfish retailers on the Crawfish App, King said. 

“Because of that demand, prices did not go down again this week, except a $.25 cent per pound drop in peelers, or the small-sized crawfish,” he said. “Nonetheless, when we compare data from the past few years, crawfish prices are back to levels that can be expected around Super Bowl Sunday.”

Super Bowl LVII will be played in Glendale, Arizona on Feb. 12.