Louisiana crawfish have been commercially available as food source since the late 1800's. The earliest account of a commercial crawfish harvest can be traced back to the year 1880 where crawfisherman netted over 23,000 pounds and bringing in $2100. In the wild, the two species of commercial significance are the red swamp crawfish (Procambarus clarkia) and the white river crawfish (Procambarus zonangulus). Because the species often coexist, it is common to find both in the same catch, and it is nearly impossible for crawfishermen to attract one species over the other in the wild. These wild crawfish are caught primarily in riparian zones, or lands and waters along rivers and slow moving streams
