Signs of improvement in the battle to eradicate nutria
The battle to eliminate a destructive swamp rat in Central California waterways is showing signs of improvement. However, a state biologist says declaring victory is still years away. Since 2017 the State Department of Fish and Wildlife has tracked the nutria from Stockton to Mendota. It’s a very destructive rodent that can tunnel through rivers, ponds, and wetlands creating all kinds of problems. … Twenty nutria trapped and euthanized in the final months of 2017. A year later it climbed to 348, 489 in 2019, 1242 in 2020, and this year the number finally took a downward trend at 674.