Navigation district performs well on audit, talks crawfish
ANAHUAC— The Chambers Liberty Counties Navigation District met last week to discuss a financial audit and the crawfish industry.
CLCND held its monthly meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 19, where the district reviewed an audit on the 2024-25 fiscal year.
The auditor stated that the district performed well but identified areas for improvement.
The auditor noted the district’s net position was $16.1 million as of February 2025, a decrease from $16.5 in February 2024. The decrease was contributed to the depreciation of assets.
The auditor said the district’s total expenditures exceeded what was budgeted by about $2,885 and suggested the district allow a bit of cushion in the budget for the end of the fiscal year.
Nikki Fitzgerald, county extension agent for Texas A&M AgriLife, provided a crawfish agricultural practice presentation for the district.
Fitzgerald said Louisiana has about 240,000 acres of land dedicated to crawfish farming, while Texas ranks second in production, at about 6,600 acres.
Fitzgerald noted that she used data from the Farm Service Agency, and most farmers don’t report their numbers, stating that she believes Texas has about 12,000 acres dedicated to crawfish production.
Fitzgerald said the majority of production comes from Chambers and Jefferson counties, noting 14 counties have crawfish production.
Crawfish production increased over the years as crawfish farming is incorporated into rice farming operations, and crawfish prices have been consistently more profitable than rice prices, according to the presentation.
Fitzgerald noted a few differences between Louisiana and Texas, as Louisiana uses well water, while Texas uses surface water, both with their pros and cons. Additionally, Texas is less reliant on the crawfish industry than Louisiana.
Following the presentation, there was a brief discussion on the pricing of water for farmers.
Currently, CLCND charges rice farmers $95 per acre, and crawfish farmers are charged $60 per acre.
There was some concern about making pricing fairer, with discussion about implementing meters, but no decision was finalized.
“We’re not here to make money, we’re here to take care of our customers,” Barber said, noting rice farmers are spending almost twice as much as crawfish farmers.
Fitzgerald commended the district for their prices for crawfish farmers, saying farmers north of Houston are struggling to turn a profit.
Before the meeting, Commissioners Barber, Leon Blackwelder, Frank Jordan and Brady Hanson were sworn in to serve on the Board of Equalization.