Report: Nutria bounty rises to $6 per tail

The $1 increase could be huge for some hunters

NEW ORLEANS, La. (WWL-TV)- Nutria, the semi-aquatic rodents with webbed toes and bright orange teeth, have a new bounty on their heads.

According to The New Orleans Advocate, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has raised the bounty on nutria tails from $5 to $6 per tail for the upcoming hunting season.

The increase is meant to reverse a decline in the number of nutria caught and killed in Louisiana. Nutria catches fell by about 38% in the 2016-17 season, according to The Advocate.

“What we are trying to do is create an artificial market to make it worth people’s time, especially for the individuals that harvest a lot,” Catherine Normand, a biologist at the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, said.