WASHINGTON (KLFY) -- Two Louisiana congressmen from opposite sides of the aisle are coming together to try to help the state's crawfishermen.

Congressmen Cleo Fields (D-Baton Rouge) and Clay Higgins (R-Lafayette) have introduced a proposed amendment to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act which would expand fishery disaster relief programs to include wild-caught crawfish.

As a commercial fishery, the wild-caught crawfish industry does not qualify for disaster relief programs through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Wild-caught crawfishermen are also not currently eligible for fishery disaster assistance under the Magnuson-Stevens Act.

“The 2023 drought led to heavy losses across the entire crawfish industry, and while we secured disaster relief through USDA and the Small Business Administration, there was no equivalent program for wild-caught crawfishermen under the Commerce Department,” Higgins said. “Our bill would add crawfish species in the Atchafalaya Basin to the Magnuson-Stevens Act to ensure those fisheries are eligible in future disasters. This is an important step to bring parity across the entire industry.”

The bill would amend the act to include the red swamp crawfish and white river crawfish as eligible fisheries. The change would allow the Secretary of Commerce to declare a fishery disaster for these species following natural or man-made disasters, failure of water management infrastructure, or other significant decreases in fish stock and fishery revenue.

“Louisiana’s crawfish harvesters are a vital part of our state’s economy and heritage," Fields said. "This legislation not only recognizes that legacy, but it also ensures that when future disasters hit, they won’t be left behind. Including wild-caught crawfish under the Magnuson-Stevens Act is a simple, yet practical way to give this industry the federal support it deserves.”

Read the text of the bill here.

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