Abstract

Crayfish, Procambarus spp., are cultivated by establishing self-perpetuating populations in shallow, seasonally flooded agricultural wetlands. Vegetation grown during the warm months when ponds are dry provides a detritus-based food web during cool months when crawfish ponds are flooded. Burrows established at surface-water interfaces in the spring are the source of young crayfish in the autumn. A circular, 0.36 ha crayfish pond was constructed in the early 1980s with a continuous levee spiraling outward to the main perimeter levee. This maximized burrow sites with resultant overpopulation of crayfish and stunting. From 1988 onward through 1999, management, including the feeding of raw rice, corn, and soybeans and intensive harvesting, has resulted in crayfish production in excess of 2,000 kg ha^-1. Continuous recruitment of young crayfish through the autumn is necessary to ensure maximum production. Recruitment is a function of survival of brood crayfish and rainfall patterns that trigger emergence of female crawfish with young. The spiral pond unit has potential for providing seed crayfish for stocking larger ponds or crayfish for family consumption.

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