Why Crawfish Show Up on Louisiana Roadways After Heavy Rainfalls

With heavy rain showers in recent days across much of Louisiana, you may have noticed that crawfish are showing up on roads and highways, and it's not because the water overflowed from the pond they were in.

For years, I have noticed that crawfish sometimes show up on roadways that are near the ponds where they are harvested, and I never really knew why or what may have forced them from those ponds.

I recently came across a social media post from a local business, and it warned people about crawfish on the roads after heavy rain, and that sparked my interest to look up why crawfish end up on the roads in Louisiana.

Like some of you, I too once thought that the water levels may play a role in relocating the crawfish, but that is not always the case

When heavy rains occur in areas where crawfish ponds are, the oxygen levels in the water drop, thus forcing crawfish and other aquatic animals to seek areas where there is more sufficient oxygen.

In addition to crawfish seeking oxygen after heavy rains, they are also attracted to the sound of flowing water, so water flowing in nearby ditches can lure them out of the ponds they are in, and this causes them to show up on roadways.

So, the next time we get a lot of rain in Acadiana, do some research while you're on the roads, and if you're near crawfish ponds, look and see if you see any crawfish on the roads.

And no, we do not encourage you to stop and pick up any crawfish from the roadway, oncoming traffic may not see you, and we don't want anyone getting hurt for picking up crawfish from the roads.