A preliminary report on a mechanical crawfish harvesting unit

The commercial crawfish industry in Louisiana is rapidly expanding. Because current harvesting methods are labor intensive and expensive, an automated mechanical harvester was developed.

The automated harvester is based on high density trapping with frequent trap movements. A linear move irrigator, which is adapted to large areas, was used as a chassis. Movement of the harvester was controlled automatically. The machine lowered traps for a preset trapping time, lifted and emptied the traps and moved a programmed distance before resetting the traps.

In a comparison test, the machine equaled or exceeded the efficiency of standard trapping methods. Little mechanical difficulty was experienced with the harvester.