|
Everyone in Louisiana knows something about crawfish—especially
how tasty they can be when boiled with just the right combination
of spices. Yet these small crustaceans—known as “crayfishes”
by scientists and “mudbugs” by many fishermen—offer
more than a delicious meal. In Crawfishes of Louisiana,
Jerry G. Walls identifies the state’s thirty-nine types
of crawfishes, explains their biology, and explores their
importance in Louisiana’s history, culture, and economy.
Walls briefly describes each species and subspecies of crawfish
currently known to live in Louisiana, as well as their natural
history and complicated breeding biology. Detailed illustrations
depict pertinent taxonomic features, color photographs of
living specimens aid in identification, and maps indicate
species distribution throughout the state. Two identification
keys further assist users in classifying any crawfish they
encounter. Drawing on his experiences collecting crawfishes
over the past fifty years, Walls explores changes in their
populations and in the environmental health of their habitats.
In the early part of the twentieth century, many Louisianans
thought eating crawfish outside of Lent was an embarrassing
admission of poverty. Now crawfish is a celebrated delicacy
in restaurants and at festivals offering crawfish boils, crawfish
races, crawfish cook-offs—even the election of a crawfish
queen and court. Crawfish provide recreational fishing opportunities
in ditches and lakes across southern and central Louisiana,
and commercial fishermen net roughly 70,000 tons of crawfish
each year and process them in a fishery employing over 2,500
people. Walls offers insights into all of these areas along
with cooking tips and recipes and, at the other extreme, instructions
for keeping crawfish as pets.
Crawfishes of Louisiana is an invaluable and enjoyable
resource for all fans of this famous Louisiana crustacean.
The author of more than forty books about various animals,
including Scorpions and Budgies: A Guide to Caring for
Your Parakeet, Jerry G. Walls teaches
biology at Louisiana State University, Alexandria. |
