Pinch A Palooza 2015 will be first ever ‘Louisiana Crawfish Awareness Month’ celebration
Deanie’s Seafood Restaurants & Seafood Market are excited to announce and celebrate the first ever “Louisiana Crawfish Awareness Month” during the sixth-annual annual Pinch A Palooza Festival & Crawfish Eating Contest on Sun. April 19 at Deanie’s in Bucktown, 1713 Lake Ave., Metairie. Deanie’s 
worked with State Rep. Nick Lorusso, R-New Orleans, to bring about this resolution recognizing an important Louisiana commodity and cultural tradition.
House Concurrent Resolution 34 designating the month of April as Louisiana Crawfish Awareness Month was presented this week by Rep. Lorusso at the start of the 2015 session and enrolled and signed by the Louisiana House Speaker on April 15.
One of the first restaurants in the Greater New Orleans region to serve boiled seafood, Deanie’s Seafood sought the resolution to raise awareness about the importance of the crawfish industry, recognize the fishermen of Louisiana and celebrate Louisiana’s Cajun French heritage.
Louisiana leads the nation in the production of crawfish, producing more than 90 percent of the domestic crop. More than 800 commercial fishermen harvest crawfish from natural wetlands in the state and 1,600 farmers produce crawfish in some 111,000 acres of ponds.
“Crawfish and seafood have a strong economic and cultural role in the lives of Louisianans, and this role is typified by family owned restaurants in Louisiana, such as Deanie’s Seafood Restaurants and Seafood Market, where Louisiana’s culture of strong family and community ties combines with culinary heritage and traditions,” the resolution reads. Read the full resolution here.
“We are so proud to be a part of celebrating Louisiana seafood and culture through the adoption of this resolution highlighting Louisana Crawfish,” said Barbara Chifici, proprietor of Deanie’s Seafood Restaurants. “We want to thank Rep. Lorusso for his support in designating April as Louisiana Crawfish Awareness Month. This resolution recognizes the fishermen, crawfish farmers, processors, distributors, seafood markets and restaurants who have helped raise awareness for this unique Louisiana delicacy and grown the crawfish industry into a leading commodity for the state.”
Louisiana’s annual crawfish harvest ranges from 120 million pounds to 150 million pounds, and the annual economic impact of crawfish is more than $300 million. Read here for more information on the history of Louisiana’s crawfish industry.
The resolution naming April Louisiana Crawfish Awareness Month received 28 yeas and 0 nays when it was put before the state Senate at the start of the session. It was signed and enrolled on April 15, 2015.