Federal wildlife officials are promoting a unique strategy to help eliminate nutria, the pesky critters that have invaded California’s Delta: Eat ’em.
Turns out that nutria, a giant rodent that looks like an outsized guinea pig, can be a mouth-watering entree.
“Their meat is lean, mild and tastes like rabbit,” the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says, urging the consumption of nutria and four other bothersome invasive species.
Nutrias have been particularly troublesome in the Delta because they can reproduce quickly and are tearing up the marshlands. A single female can birth up to 200 offspring in a year, and their burrowing causes erosion of riverbanks. Plus, they have a voracious appetite. A single nutria can consume up to 25% of its body weight in vegetation a day.
Native to South America, nutrias first showed up in the Central Valley when they came to Merced in 2017 and began spreading throughout the Delta. While they have not been reported in San Joaquin County for several years, in recent months, they were detected in Solano, Sacramento and Contra Costa counties, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife reported.
All the more reason, authorities say, to hunt down the varmints and roast them. Or barbecue, broil or sauté them.
The idea of turning invasive species into delicious dinners has been floated before by officials looking for a way to beat them back.
When the Asian carp invaded the Mississippi River and other waterways, their “white, firm, mild flesh” was promoted by federal authorities as making them prime candidates for the frying pan. Going after the colossal fish — which weigh up to 40 pounds and are capable of leaping 10 feet out of the water — not only excites fishing enthusiasts, but bow and arrow hunters as well.
As for the nutria, there’s no shortage of recipes. There’s Crock-Pot nutria, smothered nutria, nutria chili and, of course, nutria jambalaya, according to the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries in Louisiana, where nutrias are also a problem. The agency notes that nutria meat is lower in fat and cholesterol and higher in protein than chicken, turkey or beef.
“Today, more people are embracing this unconventional yet sustainable food source than ever before,” touts one website with both mainstream and unconventional recipes: Can’t Beat ‘Em, Eat ‘Em.
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