Seafood distributors and restaurants for years have imported thousands of pounds of live Louisiana crawfish into Colorado for spring celebrations and boils.
But unbeknownst to many of those cooking up the Southern staple, importation and possession of live red swamp crayfish has been illegal for decades in the state because the species is invasive.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife started investigating the importation of crayfish in March after receiving a tip from Louisiana about someone importing the species into the state. The agency issued one ticket in that case, but the tip opened a can of crawdads. Wildlife officials are now taking a new look at the regulations around the species and could potentially change the law.
