Trappers of the Barataria

Nutria Traditions

Jon and Jocelyn Donlon

Introduction

The Importance of Nutria to Louisiana

Fuzzy Hertz with his boat

When nutria were first brought to Louisiana, the original intent was to sell all parts of the fertile animal. The fur is very high quality while still relatively economical, the meat is said to be tasty, and the residue had potential use in pet or livestock food. And for nearly 100 years, the plan worked. In the 1960s, 70s, and even the 1980s, over a million nutria were caught and sold, according to Jeff Marx of Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries. However, during the 2001-2002 trapping season, the state sold fewer than 1,000 trapping licenses.¹

But several factors have contrived to dash this vision, and the businessmen lost interest and animals: namely, the decrease in fur wearing, the lack of interest in nutria meat as a human food, and the overabundance of nutria because of their high reproduction rate. Now, the economic impact of the nutria is chiefly a negative one, with too many of them disturbing the waterways, contributing to erosion of the coasts, and, in arable areas, meddling with the water-control structures necessary for agriculture. From the air, the broad, vegetation-free paths they create are clearly visible. Perhaps urged on by population density, the rodents do travel from fairly wild areas into cultivated fields, doing great damage to dikes, ditches, and irrigation works there as well as destroying portions of crop. The tendency to consume roots is an especially destructive trait, because doing so immediately kills the entire plant.

Ecological and Economical Impact

Douglas Robinson with his boat

When the hoped-for market failed to develop, would-be fur ranchers began releasing the animals into the American wilds. The overpopulation has resulted in nutria consuming much of the available vegetation in the marshes, causing great damage to coastal parishes, primarily Terrebonne Parish. In coastal areas the effect has been to accelerate coastal erosion, especially if salt-water intrusion has acted to weaken storm-savaged vegetation.

In the trapping season spanning November 2002-March 2003, Louisiana instituted a Nutria Control Program to regulate nutria numbers rather than attempt to eradicate them. Doug Robinson, an Environmental Consultant with Coastal Environments of Baton Rouge (which had the contract to manage the program), made his way into the field every week to collect nutria tails from local trappers and to record the number and location of caught nutria. The program set up six stations along the coastline, in public places easily accessible to trappers. Before they could qualify, each trapper had to officially register with the program, obtain a valid trapping license, and provide documentation that they were trapping with the landowner's permission. Trappers were allowed to turn in tails no less than eight inches long, to discourage the trapping of baby nutria. Trappers could use traditional traps, or kill the nutria with steel pellets only. Hunters were not allowed to use lead in shotguns so that other wildlife-particularly the Bald Eagle-that feed on the dead nutria would not be poisoned. Each trapper also had to follow specific guidelines for disposing of the carcasses. Once the hunter/trapper qualified, he was paid $4.00 per tail. The hunt averaged about 20,000 nutria per week, and some hunters took home an income of $60,000 for four months of work. According to Doug Robinson, most of the captured nutria came from the area starting at the mouth of the Atchafalaya River eastward to Cocodrie.

The Nutria Control Program is targeted to last five years, with the goal of collecting at least 400,000 tails per year. Officials are even talking about the program lasting for 25 years. Some trappers sell only the tails; others skin the nutria to sell its meat and fur. One trapper made an extra $7000 by selling fur. Not surprisingly, the market for nutria meat is still quite small, though growing. Between seasons, the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is documenting the impact of the trapping program, as well as areas of excessive damage done by the critters.

Trappers throughout South Louisiana are once again turning to the natural environment in part to support a traditional way of life. Many trappers learned the techniques from fathers and grandfathers, but for a long time have not found a viable market. Now, with the Nutria Control Program, trappers can earn a decent, traditional living while helping to save the Louisiana marshlands.

¹ The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries