New Fish and Wildlife campaign urges Californians to "Save a swamp, Sauté a Nutria"
SACRAMENTO – It's National Invasive Species Awareness Week and the US Fish and Wildlife Service wants people to know that nutria can be delicious.
The large, semi-aquatic rodent is considered an invasive species along the Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
Originally brought to the US from South America for fur, wildlife officials say the large rodent is destroying marshland.
In California, wildland managers have been raising concerns over nutria for years – warning that the giant rodent poses not only a threat to natural habitats but also to levees critical to agriculture.
Noting that eating invasive species is one way people can help protect native wildlife, Fish and Wildlife started a new campaign for this National Invasive Species Awareness Week by highlighting a number of pests that can make for a nice meal.
With its meat being lean, mild, and similar to rabbit, wildlife officials say nutria would make for a mean gumbo.
According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, nutria are considered a nongame animal and thus can be taken at any time by any legal means by property owners. However, officials also warn that care should be taken so that nutria isn't mistaken for other similar animals like native beavers and muskrats.
Other invasive species highlighted as possible menu items by Fish and Wildlife include the Northern Snakehead, the Green Iguana, Invasive Carp, and Feral Hogs.
