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Photos shows the crawfish processing in Louisiana, an industry hit by a shortage of foreign workers

Photos shows the crawfish processing in Louisiana, an industry hit by a shortage of foreign workers | iNFOnews.ca
Juan Antonio harvests crawfish traps in a crawfish pond in Crowley, La., Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

CROWLEY, La. (AP) — Spring is peak crawfish season in Louisiana, an industry worth about $300 million.

However, the industry is struggling this year due to a shortage of seasonal foreign workers, and some are blaming President Donald Trump’s administration for what they say has been a failure to authorize enough guest workers in time.

Large-scale crawfish producers use guest workers, many from Mexico and Central America, to shell and freeze the freshwater catch that is often pulled from swampy rice fields — physically demanding tasks that American workers are generally unwilling to do.

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This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

Photos shows the crawfish processing in Louisiana, an industry hit by a shortage of foreign workers | iNFOnews.ca
Juan Antonio displays a crawfish harvested in Crowley, La., Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Photos shows the crawfish processing in Louisiana, an industry hit by a shortage of foreign workers | iNFOnews.ca
Juan Antonio harvests crawfish traps in a crawfish pond in Crowley, La., Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Photos shows the crawfish processing in Louisiana, an industry hit by a shortage of foreign workers | iNFOnews.ca
Juan Antonio harvests crawfish traps in a crawfish pond in Crowley, La., Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Photos shows the crawfish processing in Louisiana, an industry hit by a shortage of foreign workers | iNFOnews.ca
Juan Antonio harvests crawfish traps in a crawfish pond in Crowley, La., Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Photos shows the crawfish processing in Louisiana, an industry hit by a shortage of foreign workers | iNFOnews.ca
Colin Lawson walks between his family’s crawfish ponds in Crowley, La., Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Photos shows the crawfish processing in Louisiana, an industry hit by a shortage of foreign workers | iNFOnews.ca
Juan Antonio harvests crawfish traps in a crawfish pond in Crowley, La., Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Photos shows the crawfish processing in Louisiana, an industry hit by a shortage of foreign workers | iNFOnews.ca
Juan Antonio harvests crawfish traps in a crawfish pond in Crowley, La., Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Photos shows the crawfish processing in Louisiana, an industry hit by a shortage of foreign workers | iNFOnews.ca
Alan Lawson enters the Bocage Crawfish processing facility in Crowley, La., Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Photos shows the crawfish processing in Louisiana, an industry hit by a shortage of foreign workers | iNFOnews.ca
A worker peels crawfish in the Bocage Crawfish processing facility in Crowley, La., Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Photos shows the crawfish processing in Louisiana, an industry hit by a shortage of foreign workers | iNFOnews.ca
Workers walk between buildings at the Bocage Crawfish processing facility in Crowley, La., Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Photos shows the crawfish processing in Louisiana, an industry hit by a shortage of foreign workers | iNFOnews.ca
Alan Lawson walks through a room that normally has 110 workers in the Bocage Crawfish processing facility in Crowley, La., Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Photos shows the crawfish processing in Louisiana, an industry hit by a shortage of foreign workers | iNFOnews.ca
A crawfish boat harvests a crawfish pond in Crowley, La., Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephen Smith)

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The Associated Press

Gerald Herbert And Stephen Smith

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.

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