Pond Boss Forums Thread Like Summary - Stocking pond with crawfish?

I'm interested in stocking crawfish in our pond, but am not sure where too get stocking crawfish. And would you say its a good thing for the fish population?

I have a crawfish farmer near me and he tells me to wait until Easter for the lowest pricing of the year. My last years purchase @ or around Ester were in the small Lobster sized crawfish. They were Hugh. In fact, I was concerned they might be too big to feed my 15" or under lmb.
He sell's White River and Red Swamp crawfish. And he packs them in so tightly into the mesh bags I don't think you could get another one in the bag.

I tried that about 10 years ago. Bought some from a grocery store and headed to one of my small ponds. Fatheads were doing OK in it. I put them on the bank and they didn't do much. So I put them in the water and some promptly crawled out back onto the bank. I left and came back later. More were on the bank and I put them back in the water. The next morning I went to look. Evidently all had crawled out of the water and committed suicide by coon.

I called a Louisiana crawfish producer and asked questions. He said that while they were still alive and suitable for eating, they were mostly dying from being shipped and displayed on ice.

I haven't tried it since.