JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Though crawfish may be best associated with Louisiana, Mississippi residents often enjoy it as much as our neighbors to the west of the state.
Crawfish is a seasonal food that residents enjoy with friends, family and by themselves every year throughout the metro. Like king cake, it is a popular food that businesses and individuals prepare, sell and give to hungry Mississippians. Throughout the year, it is used as a savory addition to seafood, soul food and even dishes as foreign to southern cuisine as fried rice. Though catfish is more synonymous with Mississippi, the state’s 300 acres of water devoted to crawfish production still contribute to Mississippi’s seafood economy.
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Still, this makes for a very small crawfish industry. It is mainly due to the state’s existing catfish industry, the proximity of Louisiana’s large crawfish industry, and a significantly smaller demand among Mississippians. Much of the interest centers around central and south Mississippi, areas relatively close in proximity and culturally to Louisiana.
According to the Mississippi State University (MSU) Extension Service, annual per capita U.S. crawfish consumption has risen steadily since the year 2000. Interestingly, much of the supply does not come from domestic growers: it comes from China. According to the Extension Service, the United States imposed a 25% tax on crawfish imported from China since 2019. It caused a significant drop in China’s share of the crawfish import market, but over 64% of foreign crawfish still came from the country in 2025…