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yesterday

Genetic Study Points to Human Reintroduction of Nutria in California From Oregon

The finding heightens pressure on the state to strengthen biosecurity at entry points.

Greg Gerstenberg, senior biologist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, finds a nutria caught in one of the traps they placed at the China Island state wildlife area near Gustine, Calif., on May 2, 2018.
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Overview

  • CDFW, which released genetic findings Tuesday, said California nutria most closely match a central Oregon population, signaling a recent human-assisted reintroduction.
  • A natural migration is nearly impossible, the agency’s genetics lead said, because no nutria were found between Oregon and the Merced County site where a pregnant female surfaced in 2017.
  • Officials classify nutria as an A-rated pest that destroys marsh habitat, devours aquatic plants that shelter wildlife, and burrows into levees and irrigation banks that can fail.
  • The state spends about $5 million a year on eradication and continues trapping, motion-activated cameras, and scat-detection dogs to find and remove the rodents.
  • Officials say the motive for the suspected release is unknown, and they urge the public to report sightings because transporting nutria into California is illegal.