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A participant in the men's nutria throwing contest throws a nutria during the Nutria Rodeo in Venice, La., Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021. The proceeds collected from the rodeo went towards coastal restoration efforts and the bodies of the nutria went towards crabbing instead of the original plan, the Audubon Zoo to feed animals. (Sophia Germer/The Advocate via AP)
VENICE, La. (AP) - It was a bad weekend to be a nutria in south Plaquemines Parish.
About 1,500 of the invasive, marsh-devouring rodents were shot and killed by a small army of hunters who descended on Venice on Feb. 26 and Feb. 27 for the parish's newly revived Nutria Rodeo.
"Let's go shoot some rats and save the environment," Gabe Macormic, the rodeo's organizer, said on Feb. 26 as teams of hunters revved their airboats and took off into the sprawling marshlands at the mouth of the Mississippi River.
The contest attracted about 200 hunters from across the Gulf Coast and as far away as Iowa. Cash prizes were given for the most kills and the heaviest single nutria.
"It was the most fun I've ever had," said Jimmy Rimes, of Biloxi, Mississippi. "We felt like we did our public service."
Imported from South America nearly a century ago, nutria have thrived in Louisiana at the expense of the state's fragile coastal marshes. Nutria gnaw away the roots of plants, leaving little to hold the landscape in place. More than 13,700 acres of coastal marsh were damaged by nutria last year, and more than 40 square miles of the coast have been converted to open water in recent decades, according to state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries estimates.
An invasive nutria rat stands in the marsh near Venice, La., Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021. The proceeds collected from the rodeo went towards coastal restoration efforts and the bodies of the nutria went towards crabbing instead of the original plan, the Audubon Zoo to feed animals. ( Sophia Germer/The Advocate via AP)
Nutria are one of many factors contributing to rapid land loss along Louisiana's coast. The major causes include oil and gas exploration, sea level rise, soil subsidence and the loss of replenishing sediment since the Mississippi was brought under control with levees.
The state offers a $6 bounty for each nutria tail, but last year's total of 246,000 represents about only 1% of the state's nutria population and isn't close to the number of kills needed to curb the animal's explosive growth.
"We're aiming for a 400,000 harvest amount, but we're usually getting only about half that," said Jennifer Hogue-Manuel, manager of Wildlife and Fisheries' nutria control program.
The state has been unsuccessful in reviving interest in nutria fur. Efforts to promote nutria meat in New Orleans restaurants have also failed.
Macormic, a Mandeville native who runs a medical cannabis farm in California, sees nutria damage all over south Plaquemines during frequent fishing and duck hunting trips.
"They eat all the plants until there's no shore; just a drop off," he said. "That lets in the saltwater and it kills everything else."
The shutdown of Mardi Gras festivities and the dearth of things to do amid the coronavirus pandemic spurred the rodeo's rebirth. The rodeo had been an annual Venice tradition until about 10 years ago.
"Me and a couple friends wanted something fun to do and started talking about doing (the rodeo) with just our group," Macormic said. "And then it started evolving and growing."
Macormic ended up fronting $8,000 for prizes, T-shirts and other event costs. He's OK with not getting much of his money back, but he plans to seek sponsors and other support next year.
Jamison Trouth, founder and operator of Yellowfin Distillery, shoots invasive nutria in the wetlands during the Nutria Rodeo near Venice, La., Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021. The proceeds collected from the rodeo went towards coastal restoration efforts and the bodies of the nutria went towards crabbing instead of the original plan, the Audubon Zoo. ( Sophia Germer/The Advocate via AP)
By early afternoon in Feb. 27, only about 400 dead nutria had been piled on the Venice docks, giving Macormic a twinge of worry that his event might be a bit of a bust.
"But then they started coming in and really unloading, sometimes 200 nutria at a time," he said. "It was something else."
Most hunters worked in groups of four. Teams with airboats, which can glide over both water and marsh, had a clear advantage over other vessels.
A team led by a Venice hunter who prefers to be known only as "Captain Stinky" earned the $500 prize for most kills. Their tally of 200 nutria was partly thanks to Stinky's familiarity with the area.
"He's a legend down here," Macormic said.
The heaviest nutria, which earned the $1,000 grand prize, weighed in at just over 20 pounds.
"She was a fatty, for sure," Macormic said.
Capping the event was an evening nutria toss. Contestants grabbed a carcass from a pile and let fly. The winning throw cleared 93 feet.
Nearly all the nutria are heading to Audubon Zoo where they'll keep the alligators and other animals fed for a long time.
Macormic pledged to organize the rodeo next year and may add some new events. A nutria meat cook-off is a likely future addition, he said.
Even with 1,500 nutria no longer breeding and eating in south Plaquemines, Hogue-Manuel said the rodeo's body count doesn't make a lasting dent in the state's ever-growing nutria population. But, she added, the rodeo may have value if it gets more people thinking about the health of the coast.
"It is a big issue we need to address," she said. "Hopefully, events like this get people interested in the problem and understanding the damage nutria cause."
