Crawfishermen in Basin, ponds joining forces

Submitted by admin on Thu, 03/13/2008 - 20:16

Catahoula — The Louisiana Crawfish Producers Association – West signed up a couple of important new members at its annual meeting here March 11: David Savoy and Steven Minvielle, president and director, respectively, of the Louisiana Crawfish Farmers Association.

A week earlier, the pond crawfishermen welcomed into their ranks Mike Bienvenu, president of the LCPA-West, the organization of Basin crawfishermen. Once market rivals, the two groups are to promote Louisiana crawfish and to lobby the Legislature for favorable laws.

The LCPA-West (“West” because wild-caught crawfishermen used to be divided by the Atchafalaya River before the eastern branch dissolved) had some 400 members before this month’s membership drive. The St. Martinville-based crawfish farmers’ group has around 1,100 members.

“If you don’t think 1,500 people can make a difference, let me tell you,” Minvielle said. “We can make them unplug the switchboard at the Capitol.”

He and Savoy urged the Basin fishermen to reclaim their memberships on the state Crawfish Promotion and Research Board, an entity within the Department of

Agriculture and Forestry.

The LCPA-West has joined with the LCFA in asking state Attorney General James “Buddy” Caldwell to look into allegations of price-fixing by the processors who buy their sacks of live crawfish and either peel them for the tailmeat market or sell them live wholesale or retail.

The Basin fishermen have also been involved in lawsuits and other efforts designed to preserve their access to their traditional fishing grounds and to protect or improve the water quality therein,

Also attending the Catahoula-based organization’s annual meeting were Parish President Guy Cromier, who promised to rejuvenate the Beau Bayou area of the Basin with a parish water quality project, and state Rep. Fred Mills, who pledged his support with legislation and in opening doors in the capital.

Other officials at the meeting included Parish Councilmen Lloyd “Red” Higginbotham, “Coach” Carroll Delahoussaye and Mike Huval, chairman of the Parish Council.