LAFAYETTE – Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser came to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette on Tuesday for the third annual ‘Pardoning of the Crawfish’ event.
The event is a partnership between the Lieutenant Governor’s Office, Louisiana Seafood and the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism.
Each year, one lucky crustacean is saved from the boiling pot and released into a state park.
This year’s crawfish was pulled out of the Atchafalaya Basin and named in honor of former then-USL President Clyde Rougeau.
After the ceremony, “Clyde” was brought to Palmetto State Park outside of Abbeville and released.
Nungesser says the annual event is a way for the state to show the world all that Louisiana has to offer. “We do it for a lot of fun, but we have to get creative to market Louisiana anyway we can,” Nungesser said.
