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I’m a native of New Orleans, and still live in southeast Louisiana. Originally imported from South America, nutria have been a problem ever since being released in the early 1900s. They are prolific breeders, and eat vegetation voraciously, including the roots. They also burrow into levees and canal banks, causing erosion and weakening.

While they are a concern wherever they go, Louisiana has been hit the hardest. Back in the 1990s our nutria problem made national news, as local authorities considered various ways of controlling them. One of the most successful methods was done in Jefferson Parish by then sheriff Harry Lee. He assigned deputies to hunt the nutria with .22 caliber rifles. This was safe and humane, without any collateral damage which would result from poisons or traps. It also allowed his deputies to hone their marksmanship skills.

Around the same time some restaurants tried introducing nutria meat to their menus, calling it “marsh rabbit.” That was not successful. One company announced that it had signed a trade deal with China to export millions of pounds of nutria meat, but I believe that fell through. I also think an attempt was made to market nutria fur, also without success.

Back then I was a volunteer staff diver at the Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans, something I did for 20 years. Another volunteer there was a colorful Cajun fellow named Art. Among other things, he had been a licensed alligator trapper, and wore a huge alligator tooth on a necklace. In 1996 I happened to turn on an evening network news magazine show, and they were covering the nutria story, including how Jefferson Parish was dealing with them. The reporter then brought in a local expert, and it was none other than Art! I sat and watched him give his informed opinions, and humorous stories, right there on national television.

Occasionally we would have continuing education events at the Aquarium, which were done as potluck dinners. Art and I attended these often. On two occasions he brought dishes cooked with nutria meat. One was a stew, the other a gumbo. I ate both, and was stunned at how delicious it was. Unlike some other wild game, it had no gamey flavor whatsoever. It was very lean, and literally tasted like chicken. I’m actually surprised that it never took off as a food source, but I suppose it’s because many people can’t get over the animal’s resemblance to a rat. (Yet people eat snails and raw oysters, go figure...)