Competition from imports and the rising costs of doing business are two pressures facing Louisiana crabbers, said Keith Watts heading out to tend his crab traps on Lake Pontchartrain. Photo: Ed Lallo/Louisiana Seafood News
by Mark Evans/Louisiana Seafood News
Competition from imports and the rising costs of doing business are just two of the pressures facing Louisiana crabbers, said Keith Watts as he prepares to represent the state’s crabbing industry on the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board.
Working the water of Lake Pontchartrain, Watts has a front row seat for the sunrise and sunsets over his fishing domain. Photo: Keith Watts
Watts, owner of K.W. Crabbing in Pontchatoula, has been a crab fisherman for 30 years and will serve on the board on behalf of the state’s Crab Task Force, which he currently chairs.
Almost from the beginning, Watts has been active in speaking out on issues affecting the state’s crabbers. He has served on the Crab Task Force for more than 10 years. Before that, he was a member of the Concerned Crabbers Association in the late 1980s in which crabbers came together to discuss industry issues and problems.
Costs Driving Fishermen From Crabbing
Over the years, Watts said, crabbing itself hasn’t changed much. What has changed is that crabbers have to run more traps to be profitable.
The cost of business also has increased. For example, he said, a crab trap cost about $7 when he started in the industry. Now, one costs about $30. The prices for diesel fuel and bait also have increased. Meanwhile, fishermen are now catching fewer crabs while the price of factory or picking crabs remains relatively low.
A small catch of crabs sits on Watts boat deck. With the shortage he get calls every week from people as far away as Baltimore and Florida looking for crabs to purchase. Photo: Keith Watts
“People are leaving the crabbing industry every day because they can no longer make a living from it,” he said. “It’s a struggle right now to stay in this business.”
Imports tend to set the price for fresh crabmeat, he said. Lately, that price has been so low that it is at a level that makes it hard for Louisiana crabbers to make a living with the high costs they face in doing business.
At the same time, crabbers are also facing low catch rates.
Crabs Scarce
According to Watts, each member the board wants to preserve the health of Louisiana’s seafood industry for the next generation. Photo: Ed Lallo/Louisiana Seafood News
“There’s hardly any crabs right now in the state for the retail markets,” Watts said. “I get calls every week from people as far away as Baltimore and Florida looking for Louisiana crabs to purchase. The crabs just aren’t there right now to meet the demand.”
No one is quite sure why catch rates are so low, he said, though crisis after crisis faced by the state during recent years and the state’s shrinking coastlines and estuaries have had impacts on the state’s fisheries, including its crab population.
One area on which he hopes to focus as a member of the board is to continue to create demand for the Louisiana crabs and the state’s other seafood. Watts said he’s concerned that even some of southeast Louisiana’s restaurants choose cheaper imported seafood instead of that harvested right in their own backyards. Buying local is key, he said, and the Board plays an important role in building the Louisiana seafood brand.
“We have some great seafood in Louisiana,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, it really is the best seafood out there.”
Board Mission to Preserve Health of Industry
As Watts prepares to place a trap, no one is quite sure why catch rates are so low, though crisis after crisis faced by the state have had impacts on the state’s fisheries, including its crab population. Photo: Ed Lallo/Louisiana Seafood News
Each member of that board wants to preserve the health of Louisiana’s seafood industry for the next generation, Watts said. Board members know firsthand the priorities and issues affecting their industry and are the best prepared to decide where to spend money and on what projects.
“I want to do what I can to preserve and maintain the Louisiana seafood industry”, he said. “Seafood in the state of Louisiana is a 1.8 billion-dollar industry, and somebody has to preserve it and help steer it in the right direction. The board is there to tackle problems and head them off before they become real issues.”
Watts said that as a member of the board he will bring his 30 years of experience as a Louisiana crabber, as well as a personal stake in the future of the industry.
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