Bill Would Set Size Limit For Crawfish To Be Sold

If a proposed bill is passed, a size limit would be set in order for crawfish to be sold to consumers.

Vendors, farmers, and harvesters could be in trouble in the near future if they are caught selling crawfish for people to eat that are under three and a half inches.

The bill, prefiled Friday by Gonzalez Republican Eddie Lambert, would also make it illegal to by these smaller crawfish with the purpose of reselling them.

"Any crawfish harvested or captured that is smaller than three and one-half inches measured from the tip of the rostrum to the rear edge of the carapace shall only be sold for use as bait or peelers," the bill says.

The law would allow up to 5% of undersized crawfish in each sack.

Any offense of the law would be a class two violation.

The first offense of the law would come with a fine of between $100 and $350 along with possible jail time of up to 60 days, the bill says. The fine increases to between $300 and $550 for the second offense and between $500 and $750 for third and subsequent offenses. Meanwhile, possible jail terms would be between 30 and 60 days for the second offense and between 60 and 90 days for the third and subsequent offenses.

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