Eradicating a population of that size would be very difficult, Linscombe said. So, Louisiana has worked to control nutria levels by developing markets for their fur and meat. Some Cajun chefs have concocted recipes for dishes such as nutria with mustard sauce and nutria fettucine. On October 23, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and USGS sponsored the first official nutria cooking contest. In Louisiana, nutria hunters are paid three dollars and fifty cents for each animal.
Some skins go to Russia to become fur coats.
The meat is sold to zoos and alligator farms for animal food. But in Maryland, Colona and others oppose attaching any intrinsic value on nutria that could complicate efforts to remove the animal from the refuge. The correct recipe for nutria in Maryland, they say, is eradication, and they believe that the Blackwater Refuge still can be saved from nutria through a concerted effort to eliminate the animal. All Rights Reserved. Inc. All Rights Reserved.