Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Invasive Species Nutria topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
State updates nutria bounty program: target remains 400,000 removals; damage centers now concentrated in Terrebonne and nearby parishes
Summary
The department presented the annual update of Louisiana’s nutria control bounty program, reporting reduced damage centers (from 164 in 1999 to ~22 today), a program goal of 400,000 removals per year, a $6 per‑tail bounty and continued interagency partnerships with USDA and CPA.
A department representative updated the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Board on the state’s nutria control (bounty) program, describing its history, funding and current performance.
The program aims to remove roughly 400,000 nutria per season to reduce marsh damage and is funded through the Coastal Protection and Restoration Trust Act with a federal partner role by USDA and an interagency arrangement with CPA. The bounty was raised from $4 to $6 per tail in 2006; the regulated bounty season runs Nov. 20–March 31, although harvest on private property can occur year‑round.
Program manager Jennifer Daniel said annual aerial surveys show the number of identified damage centers has fallen from 164 in a 1999 baseline survey to about 22 centers now, concentrated in Terrebonne, Lafourche and St. Mary parishes. She reported about 400 people register for the program annually, average participant turn‑in is roughly 1,500 tails, and survey extrapolations indicate approximately 3,000–3,800 acres of damaged marsh in the latest assessments.
Daniel described program safeguards against fraud and trespass: mandatory registration and permits for participants, weekly tail collection stations, landowner list requirements for designated assistants, and cooperation with enforcement to investigate suspected irregularities.
Next steps and coordination: the department is completing this season’s data, waiting on a new contractor award for tail collection operations, and coordinating with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on complementary patrols for public lands and refuges.
The board thanked staff for the long‑running program and discussed continued outreach to recruit participants and landowner coordination to preserve program integrity.
