Ten commercial proteases (neutral and alkaline) were evaluated for hydrolysis of crayfish processing by-products (CPBs). Hydrolysis conditions were optimized for the alkaline protease Optimase(TM) APL-440 by response surface methodology (RSM). Two model equations were proposed with regard to effects of pH, temperature (T), time (t), enzyme/substrate (E/S) ratio, and substrate concentration (S) on the amount of 0.3M TCA soluble peptides (TSP) and degree of hydrolysis (DH). Interaction effects between pH and T were observed (p<0.001). Based on TSP, optimum hydrolysis conditions were determined to be pH 8-9, 65 degrees C, 2.5 fir reaction time, 75%(w/v) substrate concentration, and 0.3% (v/w) enzyme.