PROGRAM UPDATES

Louisiana's open trapping season ended on March 31st.

Coastwide Nutria Control Program Status Report

(Updated July 16, 2007)

Project Summary for the 2002-2003 Nutria Control Program--

• A total of 308,160 nutria tails, worth $1,232,640, were collected from 342 participants.
• The parishes with the most nutria tails collected were Terrebonne with 92,831 tails, Plaquemines with 63,208 tails, Lafourche with 28,852 tails, St. Mary with 26,004 tails, Jefferson with 20,529 tails, St. John with 18,450 tails and St. Charles with 11,169 tails.
• The parishes with the most participants were Terrebonne with 104, Plaquemines with 69, Lafourche with 48, St. Charles with 24, St. Mary with 22, Jefferson with 19 and St. John with 11.
• The majority of the participants, 116, turned in less than 200 tails, 86 participants turned in 201-499 tails, 35 participants turned in 500-799 tails and 105 participants turned in over 800 tails.
• 66% of the nutria harvested were taken with a gun and 34% of the nutria harvested were taken with traps.
• A 2002 nutria vegetative damage survey map and a Coastwide Nutria Control Program harvest distribution map are attached to show the overlap of harvest and damage.
• May/June--conducted Coastwide Nutria Herbivory Survey

0203Harvestand03DamageReport.pdf

Project Summary of the 2003-2004 Nutria Control Program--

• A total of 332,596 nutria tails worth $1,330,384 were collected from 346 participants.
• The parishes with the most nutria tails collected were: 1) Plaquemines with 86,720 tails, 2) Terrebonne with 72,846 tails, 3) Lafourche with 51,736 tails, 4) Jefferson with 24,896 tails and 5) St. Mary with 16,277.
• The parishes with most participants were: 1) Terrebonne with 106, 2) Plaquemines with 65, 3) Lafourche with 42, 4) St. Charles with 25 and 5) St. Bernard and Jefferson with 21.
• 114 participants (33%) turned in less than 200 tails. 68 participants (20%) turned in between 200 - 499 tails. 43 participants (12%) turned in between 500 - 799 tails. The majority of participants, 121 (35%), turned in 800 tails or more.
• There was a change in the method of take for nutria during 2004. Forty-eight percent of nutria were trapped. Fifty percent of the nutria were taken with a rifle while only two percent were taken with a shotgun.
• A total of 450 applications were processed for the program.
• The 2004 Vegetative Damage Survey was completed in May. There were only 16,906 acres of damage.

0304Harvestand04DamageReport.pdf

Project Summary for the 2004-2005 Nutria Control Program--

• A total of 297,535 nutria tails, worth $1,190,140, were collected from 310 participants
• The Parishes with the most nutria tails collected were: 1)Terrebonne with 81,135 tails, 2) Plaquemines with 39,043 tails, 3) Lafourche with 32,411 tails, 4) St. Martin with 31,656 tails, and 5) St. Mary with 20,940 tails
• The parishes with the most participants were: 1) Terrebonne with 98, 2) Lafourche with 44, 3) Plaquemines with 42, 4) Vermilion with 32, and 5) St Mary with 27.
• 79 participants (25%) turned in less than 200 tails. 74 participants (24%) turned in between 200 and 499 tails. 46 participants (15%) tuned in between 500 and 799 tails. Again this season, the majority of participants, 111 (36%) turned in 800 or more nutria tails
• 38% (114,668) of the nutria harvested were trapped. 54% (159,810) of the nutria harvested were shot with a rifle and 8% (23,057) of the nutria harvested were shot with a shotgun.
• A total of 384 applications were processed for the program
• The 2005 Vegetative Damage Survey was completed in April. The survey yielded a total of 14,260 acres of damage along transect lines. This figure, when extrapolated, shows that 53,475 acres were impacted coast wide at the time of the survey.

0405Harvestand05DamageReport.pdf


Project Summary for the 2005-2006 Nutria Control Program--

• A total of 168,843 nutria tails, worth $675,372 in incentive payments were collected from 216 participants
• The Parishes with the most nutria tails collected were*: 1)Terrebonne with 57,756 tails, 2) Lafourche with 24,668 tails, 3) St. Mary with 21,023 tails, 4) St. Martin with 15,903 tails, and 5) St. Charles with 13,807 tails
• The parishes with the most participants were: 1) Terrebonne, 2) Lafourche, 3) St Martin, 4) St Mary and 5)St. John.
• 80 participants (37%) turned in less than 200 tails. 53 participants (25%) turned in between 200 and 499 tails. 29 participants (13%) turned in between 500 and 799 tails. 54 participants (25%) turned in 800 or more nutria tails and were responsible for (73%) 124,047 of the 168,843 tails that were turned in.
• 39% (65,104) of the nutria harvested were trapped. 48% (81,105) of the nutria harvested were shot with a rifle and 13% (22,634) of the nutria harvested were shot with a shotgun.
• A total of 309 applications were processed for the program
• The 2006 Vegetative Damage Survey was completed in April. The survey yielded a total of 14,868 acres of damage along transect lines. This figure, when extrapolated, shows that 55,755 acres were impacted coast wide at the time of the survey. However 2,553 acres of the 14,868 acres of damage along transects of marsh previously impacted by nutria in Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes was likely converted to open water by tidal scour from Hurricane Katrina. After the acreage is adjusted for the storm damages, the damage along transect lines equals 12,315 acres and when extrapolated this results in a total of 46,181 acres
  
  2005-06 Nutria Harvest and Damage Report

HURRICANES KATRINA AND RITA

During the 2005-2006 season the most dramatic change in harvest came from Plaquemines Parish where there was a reduction in take from 39,043 (2004-2005) to 1,816 (2005-2006). The St. Bernard Parish harvest also dropped from 4,344 in 2004-2005 to 0 in 2005-2006. Cameron and Vermilion also had a dramatic reductions in harvest, 77% and 84% respectively, from 2004-2005 to 2005-2006 season. The reduction in harvest for these parishes as well as other coastal parishes can be directly attributed to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, through destruction and/or displacement of nutria populations, as well as the displacement of trappers and hunters from their homes prior to the trapping season.