Rodent-like pest destroying the Louisiana coast finds new enemy in dog treat business

[Bayard]

PECAN ISLAND — Drive until you see the Gulf of Mexico, and before you hit the water take the last left on a dirt road. That's where Justin Choate lives.

Choate, 43, has been around Louisiana's waters all of his life. He started working those marshes, streams and bayous with his father at the age of 9.

When he's not serving as an alligator guide, he's out hunting nutria, the invasive, orange-toothed swamp rodent that's devouring Louisiana's coast.

snip

Hansel Harlan wants to convert Louisiana's nutria problem into a nationally distributed dog biscuit. Marsh Dog, the Baton Rouge pet food company he co-founded, uses wild nutria as the main ingredient in its new generation of dog treats.

In 2012, the company received a grant from the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program to begin production of the dog treats, which mostly have been sold in Louisiana stores. But now Marsh Dog has partnered with a larger manufacturer, tweaked its production process and set its sights on building the brand.

he goal is to help to eliminate as many nutria as possible to reduce the destruction of Louisiana wetlands. There are no other commercially produced dog treats that use protein from non-domesticated mammals like nutria taken from the wild, Harlan said.

The company gets its nutria from the 4.1 million-acre estuary, located between the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers in south Louisiana.

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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/09/07/nutria-destroying-louisiana-coast-target-local-dog-treat-business/2245035001/

Never heard of these critters. "Nutria are most closely related to porcupines or South American capybaras". I guess it is an answer to controlling the population of a non-native species that is destroying the environment.

[eppur_se_muova]

1. They were imported for the fur trade -- IIRC they were originally farmed but of course some ...

... escaped into the perfect habitat for the species.

[pecosbob]

9. I believe some were also intentionally released to control aquatic vegetation

Certainly many were unintentionally released during several storms that tore through the area over the years while they were still being bred commercially. Bounties for them have been offered in Louisiana and Texas for all my life I believe.

[RockRaven]

2. Alternative headline: "It's cheaper to pay swamp-people to hunt swamp-rodents than raise livestock"

not that you can raise livestock in the swamp, so it's a comparison of swamp-people hunting swamp-rodents versus other people raising the livestock in question if you want to be really pedantic about it, but still...

this headline is some seriously dystopian late-stage capitalism bullshit spin, ain't it?

[Danascot]

3. Now he needs to turn his attention to the Florida python

I've been trying to think of something to use them for for a long time. The best I've come up with so far is snake jerky but dog treats might work ... tastes like chicken!

[Phoenix61]

7. If Florida were serious about getting rid of Pythons

they would hold more rodeos. The prize would be a brand new air boat. Advertise it in every newspaper south of New Orleans. For the price of 100 air boats I believe the problem would be greatly reduced. Let everyone keep the snakes they catch. The ones that don’t win a boat can sell the skins to cover the cost of participating. Currently python hunters get $8.25 and hour, $50 for every python up to 4ft and $25 more dollars for every additional foot. Not much when you think about fuel costs etc.

[HAB911]

8. The only way to get rid of invasive species is if

WE want to eat it. Then, LOOK OUT!

[hlthe2b]

4. I've follwed this saga for some time. I know they are also restaurant fare in some cases...

I'm surprised though that the alligators haven't taken their numbers down significantly...

[Arkansas Granny]

5. They are very prolific breeders.

Nutria breed year round and are extremely prolific. Males reach sexual maturity between 4 and 9 months, whereas, females reach sexual maturity between 3 and 9 months. Sexual maturity may vary with habitat quality. With a gestation period of only 130 days, in one year, an adult nutria can produce two litters and be pregnant for a third. The number of young in a litter ranges from 1-13 with an average of 4.5 young. Females can breed within a day of having a litter. Litter size can vary with age of female, habitat quality and time of year. The young nutria at birth are fully furred and the eyes are open. Newborn nutria feed on vegetation within hours and will nurse for 7-8 weeks.

https://nutria.com/site5.php

[onethatcares]

6. funny that no one came up with

introducing pythons into the wetlands to eat the nutria. It seems the snakes have blended into the Everglades well enough to kill the key deer and other small animals, they've even tried to take on the alligators.

BTW, I write this in jest or sarcasm because someone is sure to try it.

[pecosbob]

10. Some were intentionally released to control aquatic vegetation in lakes and waterways

like hydrilla and duckweed.

[onethatcares]

11. the road to hell

is usually well paved with good intentions.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

12. They make poor hats, even by rat hat standards.

[sl8]

13. It sounds as though the company is now incentivized to maintain a nutria population.

From the cited article:

[...]

"Our ultimate goal is to go out of business," co-founder Veni Harlan said.

[...]

Call me cynical, but if this company turns out to be profitable, I suspect that their "ultimate goal" might change.

[Hotler]

15. The change will come when Wall St. buys him out. nt

[maveric]

14. Oscar?

[littlemissmartypants]

16. If there's any reason for fur trade to be legal, nutria is the one and only reason.

There used to be a booming market for the pelts. Honestly, if it was cold enough and I could get one, I'd wear a long length coat of nutria. The fur is beautiful and waterproof.

Righteous Fur

http://www.righteousfur.com/nutria-polooza-events.html

Wholesale Nutria Pelts
Harvested from the Coastwide Nutria Control Program, Righteous Fur pelts are processed in Galliano, Louisiana, by the Pitre Fur Company, one of the last traditional family-owned fur businesses in the state. Tab Pitre, son of company founder Louis Pitre, buys the animals from trappers and hunters during the height of nutria season (November-March), when their pelts are the thickest and most lustrous. After the animals are skinned, they’re scraped and dried, then mounted on long narrow boards and hung in a hot room. The finished “greens,” as they’re called, are then ready to be dressed, or tanned, which is currently done out of state.

Interested in purchasing pelts? Contact us for more info and wholesale prices.
http://www.righteousfur.com/contact.html

A stole and purse from the fashion show done by Righteous Fur:

[Karadeniz]

17. How are they executed? Don't tell me...it can't be good!