Crayfish Regulations

After all the work Colorado does to prevent invasive species, CPW does this. Leave Colorado to the native species and let them thrive. There is no need to import SWAMP creatures into a high altitude area.

We moved from Houston 8 years ago to Boulder. We have always enjoyed crawfish season. We have eaten crawfish at many restaurants here since moving from Texas.

The ban on red swamp crawfish doesn't make sense. There are already native crawfish here in Colorado. If someone tried to put red swamp crawfish in waterways, lakes, etc. they would freeze. They do not live in cold climates.
I don't know of any other state that bans red swamp crawfish, so the ban is senseless. Please allow the import of crawfish into colorado, and let's keep our fishing families in business.

Separate the two issues. Legalize importing crayfish as human food, but make it illegal to release them into the wild or use them as live bait. You could require crayfish sellers in CO to notify customers it is illegal to release them.

Given how long crayfish have been imported into CO, and the fact there is no invasion from the imported species, it is clear this is a non-issue. CDW needs to also consider the vitality of released crayfish in our CO climate.

Hello I’m a chef and hold a CO fishing/hunting combo license. I truly care about the waters and land in our beautiful state, I love hunting and fishing here and I would never want to do anything to hurt our ecosystems. I also personally get live crawfish shopped through a reputable distributor, and my spring cater wrong business is mostly crawfish boils. I would never release any into any body of water. I would have no issue applying for a specific license to handle live crawfish or some sort of regulation. The demand for live crawfish for food is huge in CO and an outright ban wouldn’t stop crawfish from coming in, it would just open a black market. Thank you for your time

I don't see people paying that kind of money the throwing them in lakes/rivers. They won't last through the winters here.

Preservation of our ecosystem should be number one priority.

I'm sorry but this Crack down is silly. If there was going to be an issue there would be already. The fact that you are not already seeing these Louisiana crawfish in our lakes and streams proves that this is a non-issue. You state it has always been illegal to import or posses these crawfish, yet boils have been happening for years. Unless something major has happened already, I think it is high time we remove these ridiculous laws that only cause blackmarket purchases and ridiculous high prices to buy or attend restaurants boils. This year's Crack down drove the prices so out of reach at restaurants for us common folks and for the first time shipment to us was not allowed! That only hurts those of us that want to enjoy these for consumption. Trust me we are NOT fishing with them or dumping bags of them in the waterways. We are eating them. I know other states are using permits for those selling them for human consumption to purchase permits to help regulate the numbers. I know the ones selling would gladly do that. Also requiring they post at the sale location "for human consumption only" could be required, but stopping the sale of live crawfish altogether is not going stop the import and will only hurt restaurants and families who make a livelyhood bringing good cajun food to those who can't otherwise get it. Thank you for considering these regulations and taking a hard look at the benefits and harm and giving us common folk the chance to give our insite.

My family and I moved to Colorado in 2017. Since moving here we have purchased live Louisiana Crawfish for mothers day celebrations along with a few other occasions. This has been a family tradition since I was a small child back in Texas. In the 40 plus years of cooking live crawfish I have yet to let one go into the wild. I am not an expert on crawfish by any means, but I am not so sure that the crawfish being imported could live in the sustained harsh winter weather climates that Colorado offers. Thank you for taking the time to hear from the public on this matter, and I hope that we will be able to carry on family traditions.

I am for importing red swamp crawfish for food consumption in Colorado. First, red crawfish would never survive the temperatures here in Colorado winters. Second, boiling and eating crawfish is a huge part of Louisiana culture. There is no one spending $5 to $10 a lb. to release them.

Born in Denver raised in the foothills. We have enjoyed crawfish all my life here. Catching on our own When We Were Young and now buying at local Asian markets and crawfish sales markets. I would hate to see this law come into effect. I don't believe they're being brought in to be dumped in our lakes and River ways. Or do I believe that it would become such an invasive species that would kill off our own native crawfish. Thousands of people enjoy these during this short season. I do believe that the ones that come in go into the Boiling Pot that aren't dead and they go in the trash. It's heartbreaking to know that this could become a legal bringing them across the border. Or having them shipped to our state. Seems to me the biggest invasive species are out of Staters who want to build downhill bike parks in our mountains in our precious wetlands and beautiful Serene neighborhoods. Seems like there's much bigger fish to fry. Then a few crawfish. Thank you for the chance to be able to speak.

Red swamp crawfish can not survive our harsh cold winters in Colorado, they bairly survive cold fronts that hit LA, the last cold snap that hit down there killed over half of the crawfish for the season that year! Plus we are not spending $100's of dollars on them to release them anywhere except a pot of boiling water to be consumed directly after. Now if these were cold water crawfish being imported from say Ohio I would completely agree with this total ban but they aren't. At least make an exception and give licences for special events, and restaurants and put stipulations on how far away from bodies of water the boils need to be done.

I have lived in colorado for ten years I previously lived in texas and louisiana. We are eating the crawfish. We are not releasing them into the waters. You need to relax the regular. Not releasing them into the waters. No one is releasing lobsters into the water when they're swimming in a tank in a restaurant. Please relax the regulations to allow them to be sold and consumed.

Crawfish from out of state has been delivered here for at least the last 10 to 12 years and if there has not been an "invasion" by now it is quit possible that people do not go buy live crawfish just to go and dump them into rivers they will not be able to survive in due to winter conditions here in Colorado. In the small quantities that they are purchased in, if they are dumped they would not last long in waters with fish that prey on them. Crawfish farms in the South have very specific requirements and regulations that they have to follow just like any agricultural commodity that we consume. These are not carp, or equivalent to fish species that do not have a natural predator. Please allow these families, who are just trying to make a living by provided a very popular "food" item, not pets or pest, to continue their hard work and dedication to provided a service that cannot be met anywhere near here. Or you can start allowing crawfish farms to be marketed here, good luck with that.

I do think a distinction needs to be made between shipped crayfish for human consumption and that of baiting or aquaculture. Crayfish used for cooking in "boils" have no risk of escaping when properly prepared for the boil, which is also the easiest way to to prep them, keeping them in the shipped bag and cooler.

Crawfish has been imported in mass quantities for years and years into Colorado for human consumption. We used to joke about all the boxes we would see inside the FedEx ship station any given Saturday during season. We've also enjoyed live crawfish in countless restaurants all through out the state. This has never been an issue. There have also been studies that have shown the crawfish imported from Louisiana and Texas simply can't survive our cold winters here. They burrow too shallow and freeze to death during the winter. There is a reason you don't see crawfish being farmed anywhere outside of a few far southern states. It's too cold and they don't survive the winters. I don't even know why this is a conversation point. Give us our crawfish back!

Why on earth would I spend hundreds of dollars for crawfish to be delivered from Louisiana to boil and eat with my friends, only to carefully attempt to keep some alive and dump them into a local water source? Especially when the chances of them surviving in the cold, non brackish water are basically nill? I want to be able to buy them to eat them, not to perform ridiculously difficult environmental pranks!! Give me a break.

These crayfish are not someones pet. They are not being brought in to be released into waters in Colorado. They are being brought in to be cooked and consumed. If we are to ban this from being brought in why then are other aquatic creatures allowed to be sold at pet stores?? I would be willing to wager that more pet store pets like fish, turtles, frogs, snakes, get released in Colorado every year than crayfish. This is a food source.

It seems to me that the issue here is infestations caused from folks using crayfish as bait. Also, the infestations in Colorado are Rusty Crawfish from the Ohio area. Why are we penalizing those that are simply eating them. An outright ban is just going to lead to a blackmarket with unlicensed/unregulated individuals going down to Texas to buy crawfish and bring them up to CO.

IMO, CPW is missing the opportunity in front of them. You have a large number of Cajun/Creole living in this state. You should be encouraging them to go out and trap these critters currently in CO waters.

Perhaps there is a compromise solution. Limit where crayfish can be consumed. State that they have to be xxx distance away from waterways/lakes unless they were captured there. License distributors to insure they’re trained in proper handling and disposal.

There are lots of comments about this species of crawfish/crayfish being introduced into Colorado waters. Honestly CPW needs to clear that issue. This isn't about dumping live crayfish into Colorado waters. It's about a food source that many in other states enjoy. No one that I know would even consider dumping these in Colorado waters. My question to all these natives is what about live fish and crab for human consumption sold at local markets??? You allow those and no one is worried about those being released into the waters here. Unfortunately this area is landlocked and others of us that didn't grow up here enjoy seafood and crawfish and we can't just freely run out and buy them. Also suggesting that all seafood fish etc be frozen before hand only shows that you don't appreciate food. Frozen isn't the same and never will be. There are also restaurants and breweries/bars that hold crawfish boils in season as a way of additional income. Please consider the impact this could have on local business, not just individual purchase.

I’ve seen many comments on here arguing for the ban of importation of love crawfish. None of those that have expressed this view have provided any research that has shown these imported crawfish have had any effect on the Colorado ecosystem. And are basing their comments solely on emotion. Thousands of of us have enjoyed crawfish boils every year and banning the importation would negatively effect 10’s of thousands of your citizens. As stated by others, those of us that pay the high price to important these crawfish are only using them for consumption and wouldn’t even waste one to introduce into a Colorado lake or stream due to the high cost. This coupled with these type of crawfish’s inability to handle the harsh temperatures show that this is a non-issue and a ban defies logic and reason. Any of us that host these boils would gladly invite those that are wanting this ban to a boil to show them just how wrong they are.