Fences, walls, and other structures can reduce nutria damage, but high costs usually limit their use. As a general rule, barriers are too expensive to be used to control damage to agricultural crops. Low fences (about 4 feet [1.2 m]) with an apron buried at least 6 inches (15 cm) have been used effectively to exclude nutria from home gardens and lawns. Sheet metal shields can be used to prevent gnawing damage to wooden and Styrofoam structures and trees. Barriers constructed of sheet metal can be expensive to erect and unsightly.
Protect bald cypress and other seedlings with hardware cloth tubes around individual plants or wire mesh fencing around the perimeter of a stand. Extensive use of these is neither practical nor cost-effective. Plastic seedling protectors are not effective in controlling damage to bald cypress seedlings because nutria can chew through them.
Sheet piling, bulkheads, and riprap can effectively protect stream banks from burrowing nutria. Installation requires heavy equipment and is expensive. Use is usually restricted to industrial or commercial applications.
Resources: (online)
Nutria
