BREAUX BRIDGE, La. (KLFY) – Amid the doom and gloom about the 2024 crawfish season, one of our favorite crustaceans received some good news Tuesday.

Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser, along with the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, granted an official pardon to Sherbin the Crawfish during the 8th annual Pardoning of the Crawfish event. The event took place at Parc des Ponts Breaux along Bayou Teche in Breaux Bridge, the crawfish capital of the world.

Started in 2017 and held on the first Tuesday following Mardi Gras, this annual pardoning celebrates crawfish season in Louisiana and across the Gulf South, Nungesser said.

"Crawfish is one of our signature dishes here in Louisiana," Nungesser said. "We have some of the best seafood in the entire world along our coast and in our waterways. There is no better way to celebrate our culture and heritage than to grant one lucky crawfish his freedom before he ended up on a tray in a restaurant or a backyard boil.”

This year's lucky crustacean was named “Sherbin” in honor of long-time Henderson Mayor Sherbin Collette, who is in his fifth term in office. Collette’s family has made their living fishing the waters of the Atchafalaya Basin for generations. Collette said Henderson’s fishing history sets the town apart from all other towns and cities in St. Martin Parish.

“This is the biggest honor for me in the 20 years as mayor," Collette said. "Thank you for naming this crawfish Sherbin. I am very grateful for the pardoning and the release of my namesake, Sherbin the Crawfish.”

Following his pardon, the Louisiana Office of State Parks transported Sherbin to Lake Fausse Point State Park in St. Martinville, where he will live out the rest of his days burrowing in the mud, swimming in the bayou and making the state park his new home.

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