HENDERSON, La. (KLFY) – One lucky crawfish can breathe easier today.

Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, along with the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, granted an official pardon to Huval the Crawfish Tuesday during the 9th Annual Pardoning of the Crawfish event at Pat’s Fisherman’s Wharf Restaurant in Henderson.

Nungesser bestowed the official pardon upon Huval, delivering an official proclamation to the guest of honor’s namesake, the Huval family.

“Here in Louisiana, we are the largest domestic producer of crawfish producing about 150-million pounds a year,” Nungesser said. “It’s a delicacy in our state and peak season runs now through Easter. So, what better way to celebrate our culture and heritage than to grant Huval his freedom before he ended up on a tray in a restaurant or a backyard boil.”

The lucky crustacean is named “Huval” in honor of the late Henderson restaurant icon Pat Huval and his family. Pat Huval and his wife Agnes opened a grocery store in Henderson in 1948 that also sold hamburgers and crawfish by the sack. Eventually crawfish and other seafood dishes made their way on the menu. Huval then opened Pat’s Restaurant in 1952.

In 1971, Pat Huval became the first mayor of Henderson, a position he would hold for more than two decades. As mayor, he led the way for incorporation into a town, improved the roads, built a town hall and local jail, instituted trash service, and was instrumental in creating the fire department. Huval died in 2018 at the age of 88.

“It’s such an honor for our entire family to have this year’s crawfish named in honor of our dad, Pat Huval, and our entire family,” said Jude Huval, Head Chef and Co-Owner of Pat’s Fisherman’s Wharf Restaurant.

In keeping with tradition, Barry Toups, owner of Crawfish Haven and Mrs. Rose’s Bed & Breakfast in Kaplan, caught and selected the guest of honor for his reprieve. Huval the Crawfish was then transported to Pat’s Fisherman’s Wharf Restaurant in Henderson.

Following his pardon, Huval was taken and released to Lake Fausse Point State Park in St. Martinville, his new home.

The annual event, started by Nungesser in 2017 and held on the first Tuesday after Mardi Gras, celebrates crawfish season in Louisiana and across the Gulf south.

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