Virginia Being Invaded

The Virginia Gazette, Snakehead and nutria keep appearing, despite efforts to stop them

As warm weather encourages Virginia residents to venture into woods and waters, there’s a growing likelihood they will encounter invaders.

Two non-native species that wildlife experts are keeping an eye on — northern snakeheads and nutria — have established footholds in regional waters, and those who come across these animals are asked to do their part to help protect ecosystems from their potentially harmful effects.

The northern snakehead is a large, predatory fish native to Africa and Asia that was first discovered in Virginia in the Potomac River in 2004. Experts believe the fish was intentionally released.

Since then, the species has fully colonized the Potomac River and the Rappahannock River, according to Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources regional fisheries biologist John Odenkirk. The fish has also established populations farther south in the York and James rivers and their tributaries, though in much smaller numbers.

Desiree Nuckols with a Northern Snakehead

Desiree Nuckols has encountered snakeheads firsthand in the Pamunkey River. Nuckols, a member of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe, fishes frequently, often posting pictures of her best catches to Instagram under her handle kissmy_bass_. She was the first known person to catch a snakehead in the Pamunkey River in 2020.

Nuckols was fishing the shallows this April when she hooked another healthy snakehead, her third so far.

“They fight really hard, a lot like bowfin,” she said. “They’re very feisty and fun to catch, but hard to deal with because of their teeth.”

Nuckols said the snakeheads are tasty and that she has fried the ones she’s gotten, but that she might go with grilling the next one with onions and butter.

LM Bass are also an invasive species here

Nuckols said she’s aware of the potential problems that snakeheads pose for local ecosystems. She was part of a team of Pamunkey Indian Tribe members who worked with scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to study and tag Atlantic sturgeon to better understand the endangered fish.

The team was cognizant of the effects that abnormal disruptions, such as the presence of snakeheads, were having on native species, according to Nuckols.

Nuckols said she determined that the snakehead she recently caught had just eaten three large minnows.

 

But not Crappie

Snakeheads are very opportunistic feeders and will eat almost anything that’s in front of them, according to Odenkirk. Thankfully, snakeheads do not seem to be decimating local populations of native species — a worst-case scenario some scientists feared when snakeheads first arrived — but wildlife officials nonetheless hope to limit the impact that the invasive fish is having.

Nutria, on the other hand, have proven to be much more destructive. Semiaquatic rodents that are native to South America, nutria can completely destroy marshes by devouring the all the vegetation. The denuded ecosystem then becomes inhospitable for other creatures that normally live there. The residual sediment erodes away and becomes open water with no chance of recovery.

Mikayla Ball with a Nutria

Nutria have long been established in the waters of south Hampton Roads and along the southern shoreline of the James River up to Interstate 95, according to Todd Englemeyer, also a biologist with the Department of Wildlife Resources. But a more recent development is detection of the species north of the river, specifically in the Chickahominy River watershed.

Two years ago, there was a positive identification of a male nutria that had been killed by a vehicle in Providence Forge. Englemeyer said that the DWR has redoubled its efforts in the Chickahominy, deploying traps, using K-9 detection and installing nutria identification signage at boat ramps.

If nutria become established in the Chickahominy, it’s possible that they’ll find their way north to other rivers with habitat they prefer, such as the Pamunkey River, Mattaponi River and Dragon Run.

The last I heard, Nutria were eliminated from Maryland's Eastern Shore, using dogs to hunt them, but if they're still loose in Virginia, it's going to be an ongoing battle. As for Snakeheads? We lost that fight. 

The Wombat has posted Rule 5 Sunday: Anya Forger on time and under budget at The Other McCain.

Are Nutria Headed Our Way Again?

Molly the pet Nutria

The Virginia Pilot: Nutria in Virginia? Yes, and special dogs are helping find the giant rat invaders

There’s an animal in my freezer that looks like a giant rat.

It was killed because it was acting oddly and because, well, giant rat equals heebie-jeebies.

But mostly, it was dispatched because we’d decided it was a nutria.

And nutria are outlaws: an invasive species that wipes out wetlands, devours crops and digs into dams — so dreaded it has its own wanted poster.

I’ve been keeping the carcass on ice — quadruple bagged — in case some expert wants to take a look.

Imported decades ago for their fur, nutria have been chewing their way north into Hampton Roads for years. Until recently, the James River confined them to the South Side.

Louisiana Nutria hunter

But now they’ve breached the Great Wall, getting a toehold in virgin territory, where conditions are even riper for a population explosion.

Sightings are being reported from Hampton to Mathews County, but the only presence that’s been confirmed is on the Chickahominy River, northwest of Williamsburg.

The infiltration was likely launched from Surry County, which nutria expanded into some time ago.

“The James isn’t that wide there and it only takes one pregnant female to make the swim,” said Todd Engelmeyer, regional biologist with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. “It’s a miracle it hasn’t happened before.”

The ecological menace now has a clear path to the Potomac River, where it could cross into Maryland — a state that recently declared itself nutria-free after a $25 million, 20-year search-and-destroy campaign.

Nutria fur coat

I've posted about Maryland's war on Nutria before, when they started using dogs to hunt them in 2014 and when they declared victory in 2016. Those nutria were on the eastern shore, and were definitely contributing to degradation of the wetlands.

“Absolutely the last thing we want to see is them showing up here again,” said Jonathan McKnight, a biologist with Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources. “When I look south into Virginia, I’m really worried — for your sake as well as ours.”

The semi-aquatic rodents, which can top 20 pounds, typically prefer wetlands. With big orange teeth, they indulge their taste for plant roots, consuming a quarter of their body weight daily, creating swathes of dead zones known as “eat outs.”

Coastal marshes become mud flats, then open water. Erosion gets worse. And the vital nurseries and feeding grounds for all sorts of fish, fowl and blue crabs disappear.

Crockpot Nutria

So it doesn't sound like they're likely to wind up here anytime soon, given that they still have to cross to Potomac. The Western Shore has less wetland than the Eastern Shore, so much less potential habitiat. And, having eliminated them on the Eastern Shore, we'll know how to do it again if necessary. In the meantime, here's a Nutria recipe, Louisiana style.

Prepare the nutria meat. Thoroughly cover the meat with tenderizer and Cajun seasoning (Tony Chachere's is the best) overnight for best results. If pressed for time, cover meat with tenderizer and Cajun seasoning, and let sit for at least 1/2 hour. Cut meat into bite-sized pieces for best flavor. Use 3 to 4 pounds of meat for the following sauce recipe. If the hungry-man's portion is desired, use 5 pounds.

On low heat, in large pasta pot or good-sized heavy pan, slowly cook seasoned meat in 1 pound of real butter (with salt) until golden brown (about 20 minutes). Add 1 cup of chopped onions, 1 cup of chopped shallots, 1 cup of diced green bell peppers, 1 cup of diced celery, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of A-1 Sauce and 1 teaspoon of white pepper. Continue to heat on low, cooking for an additional 20 minutes.

Turn heat up to medium temperature, add 2 large cans of Ro-Tel diced green chilies and tomatoes - use medium or hot flavors to suit taste. Stir constantly for 10 more minutes to avoid burning the meat or the butter. Add 1 package of instant brown gravy. Only add the package contents. Do not add water as the package instructions indicate for making actual gravy. Tony's also sells a pre-made dark roux in a jar. If using this, add 1 Tablespoon of Tony's Dark Brown Roux. Turn heat to simmer. Add 2 large cans of your favorite tomato sauce (Prego, Ragu, Hunt's, etc.). My best results have been with Hunt's canned sauce -- use the garlic-and-herb-flavored sauce. Allow to simmer for 30 minutes. If sauce becomes thick, thin with small amounts (1/2 cup or less) of water. Taste for salt & pepper seasoning, and adjust according to taste.

For a traditional Cajun dish, serve sauce in large bowl with an ice cream scoop of rice in the middle. For a traditional American dish, serve sauce in large bowl poured over pasta or egg noodles.

I presume the equivalent Maryland version will involve Old Bay.  

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Samsung Sam finished on time and under budget.

Chesapeake War on Nutria in Abeyance

Nutria Eradication Project Successful, More to be Done

Searching through marshes taller than man, field specialist, Mario Eusi and his chocolate lab mix, Cain, were training on Tuesday at Blackwater Wildlife Refuge.

Training to track nutria - an invasie rodent species.

"A lot has changed in the last 15 and a half years that I've been working here," Eusi said.

Eusi and Cain have been doing the job almost everyday for years to get rid of nutria and with their black claws and orange teeth, the rodents have contributed to over 5,000 acres of lost marshland.

"If it was there, we would find it," Eusi said.

They're part of the Chesapeake Bay Nutria Eradication Project (CBNEP) - a project in the works since 2002 that's done so well, they haven't confirmed nutria living there for years.

"It's good and bad," said Marnie Pepper, the project's leader.

Pepper says there's no physical proof nutria still live at Blackwater Wildlife Refuge but word from hunters in the area say they still do.

"So in that sense, it's very important we do this sort of work," Pepper said.

Pepper says with nutria harder to track, they're trying just about anything from detector dogs to hair snares - all to make sure the rodents are gone and the marshes safe.

Pepper says they also rely on the public to report sightings or traces of nutria. She encourages anyone who's encountered the rodent to report it through their website.

Introducing foreign species is easy; eliminating them once they get established is almost impossible. I would be surprised if the campaign to eliminate them was 100% successful.

Wombat-socho has "Late Night With Rule 5 Monday: Twin Peaks" up at The Other McCain.

No More Eastern Shore Nutria?

Project leaders - and canines - hopeful

Environmentally lethal rodents known as nutria have ravaged the wetlands along the Eastern Shore for decades.

The creatures’ destruction of the Chesapeake Bay and marshland prompted the United States Department of Agriculture to introduce The Chesapeake Bay Nutria Eradication Project in 2002 at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge. Since then, the project has expanded its efforts across Delmarva.

Its goal was to eradicate nutria from the region by 2019, but project officials say they are well ahead of schedule.

“We’re at the point in the project where we don’t actually know of any remaining nutria populations,” says Bill Wilmoth, project leader. “We’ve trapped them out to that point. We’re now just doing detection surveys to make sure that there aren’t any remaining nutria.”

In the past 14 years, Wilmoth and his team have searched more than 250,000 acres of land on the Eastern Shore and more than 14,000 nutria have been eliminated, according to the USDA.

To be sure nutria have been abolished from Delmarva, project officials are revisiting areas the pests have previously been found to ensure they didn’t miss any.

Hated for their destruction of marshes, the only good things about nutria are that they are edible in a pinch, and their fur can be used to make fine fur coats.

Over the years, Wildlife Services has used a number of tools to eliminate these harmful rodents from the Eastern Shore. Dogs are just another piece of their versatile toolbox.

“The marsh is a very expansive habitat,” Pepper says. “So what we use the dogs for is to look for nutria droppings, and that’s something we look for. We have a better chance of finding a dropping than the actual animal. When the dogs find it, they bark.”

“The dogs are a very critical piece of the toolbox,” Pepper adds. “We use them to survey the ground and it helps build our confidence that we aren’t detecting (nutria).”

If I know my dogs, part of the headline is wrong. The dogs would be very disappointed to find no more nutria.

"Rule 5 Sunday: Super Bowl L"  is ready at The Other McCain, courtesy of Wombat-socho.

Poop Sniffing Pups to Participate in Nutria Massacre

Dogs will sniff out nutria scat in final phase of eradication program

Warrior in the War on Nutria

Detection dogs are playing a key role in the current phase of the Chesapeake Bay Nutria Eradication Project. The dogs are now working regularly here to search out signs of lingering nutria and are ready to respond to any reports of nutria sitings occurring in some 250,000 acres of marsh from which nutria are believed to have been cleared from the Choptank to Pocomoke River systems on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Hmm; that should be "sightings", unless they meant placing more nutria out on the marsh, in which case "sitings" might be appropriate.

Last week the first two dogs trained for the program, Keeva and Rex, were officially graduated along with their handlers Margaret Pepper and Jerry Hopkins by officers of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Detector Dog Training Center during a brief ceremony here at the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge Visitors Center.
. . .
Pepper and Hopkins and their dogs will be canvasing marshes to very nutria eradication in those areas. They will also be responding to any nutria sitings, where the dogs will then search for nutria scat for followup by trappers. If a nutria is found, more work with the detector dogs would occur in the area around where the nutria is found.

Nutria coat

It's worth remembering that Nutria were first imported for their fur, which is much nicer than dog.

During the first phase of the nutria eradication program, a few of the USDA trappers brought in their hunting dogs to root out nutria from the marsh. This effort was not fully effective in capturing nutria and also caused injury to some of the dogs.

Using dogs to find nutria scat poses no danger for the dog and is proven effective, according to USDA Training Specialist Willie Cooper. The dogs can easily differentiate between nutria and muskrat scat, he said, explaining the complexities of a canine nose.

Nutria have been a catastrophe over in the marshes on the eastern shore. Dogs, fur trapping, and women with shotguns are all welcome to take their best shots.

Wombat-socho chose to hold Rule Five Sunday on Monday this week.

More Money in Rodent War

Federal sportsman bill includes $2 million for Maryland to combat nutria

The war on nutria on Maryland’s Eastern Shore is poised to receive a fresh infusion of federal resources for a final push to eradicate the invasive rodent from marshland along the Chesapeake Bay.

U.S. Senate bill 3525, called the sportsman bill, covers everything from the price of duck stamps to the use of lead in fishing tackle. It includes $6 million for nutria eradication and control programs, $2 million of which is slated for Maryland over the next four years. The bill was poised to pass in the Senate on Monday evening, but may not make it through the House of Representatives before the December recess.

Since 2000, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and a group of public and private partners have worked to trap and kill about 13,000 animals on more than 160,000 acres in five counties on the Eastern Shore. The effort is called the Chesapeake Bay Nutria Eradication Program.

“I have to say that the program is going extremely well,” said Jonathan McKnight, associate director of the Natural Heritage Program at DNR. “We’re seeing beautiful marsh recovery.”

Aw, but they're so cute.  So what do you want, more cute, cuddly, fur bearing, edible rodents, or stinky, slimy marshes that nobody wants to go out into anyway?